Diabetes News January 9th 2009

Associations between physical activity, sedentary behavior, and glycemic control in a large cohort of adolescents with type 1 diabetes
Physical activity is strongly associated with psychological well-being but has weak associations with metabolic control (Pediatric Diabetes)

The chance of cutting obesity? A big fat zero
The number of failed government healthy-eating initiatives is expanding in step with the national waistline (Times, UK)

Glucose Control and Vascular Complications in Veterans with Type 2 Diabetes
Intensive glucose control in patients with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes had no significant effect on the rates of major cardiovascular events, death, or microvascular complications (NEJM)

Can We Learn From Viruses How to Prevent Type 1 Diabetes?
The Role of Viral Infections in the Pathogenesis of Type 1 Diabetes and the Development of Novel Combination Therapies (Diabetes)

Diabetes strategy ‘needed in NI’
A regional strategy is needed to tackle Diabetes in Northern Ireland, it has been claimed (BBC, UK)

Obesity: Reviving the promise of leptin
Amylin Pharmaceuticals (San Diego) is testing leptin in combination with its diabetes drug, pramlintide (Harvard Science)

Patient complexity in quality comparisons for glycemic control: an observational study
Current performance measures of glycemic control may not be reliably identifying quality problems, and tying reimbursements to such measures may compromise the care of complex patients (Implementation Science)

Specialty Certificate Examination in Endocrinology and Diabetes
The Federation of Royal Colleges of Physicians of the UK, in association with the Society for Endocrinology, the Association of British Clinical Diabetologists and Diabetes UK, has developed a programme to deliver a Specialty Certificate Examination in Endocrinology and Diabetes (BioSci News)

One person diagnosed with diabetes every three minutes
One person is diagnosed with diabetes every three minutes in the UK, according to new figures from (Diabetes UK)

ABCD Nationwide Exenatide Audit
The national audit is now live and all ABCD members are strongly encouraged to contribute (Association of British Clinical Diabetologists)

Transforming Community Services: Currency and Pricing Options for Community Services
An example of this currency is the ‘year of care’ for diabetes services. 41-page PDF (DoH, UK)

Diabetic ketoacidosis caused by exposure of insulin pump to heat and sunlight
The author proposes that ‘by exposure to high temperatures through being left in direct sunlight, the insulin in the pump reservoir was destabilised and made ineffective’ (National electronic Library for Medicines, UK)

Long-term use of thiazolidinediones and fractures in type 2 diabetes: a meta-analysis
Long-term thiazolidinedione use doubles the risk of fractures among women with type 2 diabetes, without a significant increase in risk of fractures among men with type 2 diabetes (CMAJ)

Thiazolidinediones: Do harms outweigh benefits?
There has been recent debate about the risks and benefits of the use of thiazolidinediones (rosiglitazone and pioglitazone) to treat diabetes (CMAJ)

Painful swelling in the thigh: diabetic muscle infarction
Teaching cases (CMAJ)

A new route to longer lasting beta cell transplants?
A team based at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University has been investigating ways to prolong the life of transplanted beta cells (JDRF)

Early recognition of diabetes complications
As a diabetologist, I try to put things into perspective from time to time. I tell patients that a blood sugar level of 200 or 300 mg/dL or an HbA1c of 9% is not bad in and of itself; it’s the long-term consequences on the microvascular system that we must work to prevent (Clinical Advisor)

Acute hyperglycaemia induces an inflammatory response in young patients with type 1 diabetes
This study shows that acute hyperglycaemia induces an inflammatory response in patients with type 1 diabetes (Informa Healthcare)

Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 Receptor Expression Masks the Antiinflammatory and Glucose Uptake Capacity of Insulin in Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells
IGF1R, which is susceptible to feedback regulation by its own ligand, may represent a novel target for interventions designed to treat insulin resistance in the vasculature (Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology)

Diabetes and mental ability
Overall, there is a need for larger, prospective studies to confirm whether people with diabetes experience decline in cognitive function and, in particular, which aspects of their function are affected. These studies will also need to take into account other potential confounding factors (Behind the Headlines, NHS Choices)

Paul Langerhans Grants on Interaction between Peripheral Tissues, the Gut and the Central Nervous System
Request for Applications (EASD)

European Studies on Glucose Monitoring
Request for Applications (EASD)

American Diabetes Association Welcomes Newest Volunteer Leaders to 2009 Board of Directors
Individuals representing the Association’s Officers of the 2009 Board include: (American Diabetes Association )

Discovery of insulin
“The history of one of the most important medical discoveries of our time” (Discovery of Insulin)

Revised International Table of Glycemic Index (GI) and Glycemic Load (GL) Values—2008
This is the definitive table for both the glycemic index and the glycemic load. I am able to reproduce it here courtesy of the author, Professor Jennie Brand-Miller of the University of Sydney (David Mendosa)

Low-glycemic index diet improved glycemic control better than high-fiber diet
Patients with type 2 diabetes who adhered to a low-glycemic index diet experienced greater improvements in glycemic control and risk factors for coronary heart disease compared with patients who followed a high-cereal fiber diet (Endocrine Today)

Hope of insulin cell transplant
Scientists working towards pancreatic cell transplants as a cure for diabetes have taken the first step to getting around the problem of immune rejection (BBC, UK)

Current status of islet cell transplantation
Despite substantial advances in islet isolation methods and immunosuppressive protocol, pancreatic islet cell transplantation remains an experimental procedure currently limited to the most severe cases of type 1 diabetes mellitus (Journal of Hepatobiliary Pancreat Surgery – PubMed)

Plants used to produce insulin
The world’s first clinical trial of human insulin produced in plants is under way in the UK, raising the prospect of a new source of insulin to meet rapidly growing demand from diabetics (Financial Times, UK)

Plasma carotenoids and diabetic retinopathy
Our observations indicate dietary modulation of retinopathy risk may be possible by increasing intakes of lutein- and lycopene-rich foods (British Journal of Nutrition)

Quantitative Assessment of Early Diabetic Retinopathy Using Fractal Analysis
Greater retinal fractal dimension, representing increased geometric complexity of the retinal vasculature, is independently associated with early diabetic retinopathy signs in type 1 diabetes (Diabetes Care)

Dysregulation of lipid and amino acid metabolism precedes islet autoimmunity in children who later progress to type 1 diabetes
Recognition of these preautoimmune alterations may aid in studies of disease pathogenesis and may open a time window for novel type 1 diabetes prevention strategies (JEM)

Change4Life: England’s Obesity War
This can cause life-threatening diseases like cancer, diabetes and heart disease – so it’s really important that we do something about it (NHS, UK)