http://www.rxpgnews.com/ Medical News and Information Thu, 21 Aug 2008 02:00:28 PST en-us http://www.rxpgnews.com/niddm/Data-also-support-role-for-adult-spleen-cells-in-regeneration-of-beta-cells_5855.shtml NIDDM New data published in the Nov. 24 issue of Science provide further support for a protocol to reverse type 1 diabetes in mice and new evidence that adult precursor cells from the spleen can contribute to the regeneration of beta cells. In 2001 and 2003, researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) demonstrated the efficacy of a protocol to reverse of type 1 diabetes in diabetic mice. Three studies from other institutions published in the March 24, 2006 issue of Science confirmed that the MGH-developed protocol can reverse the underlying disease but were inconclusive on the role of spleen cells in the recovery of insulin-producing pancreatic islets. The new data from a study performed at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), published as a technical comment, provides additional confirmation of the ability to reverse type 1 diabetes and on the role of the spleen cells in islet regeneration. Fri, 24 Nov 2006 22:42:30 PST http://www.rxpgnews.com/niddm/Data-also-support-role-for-adult-spleen-cells-in-regeneration-of-beta-cells_5855.shtml http://www.rxpgnews.com/niddm/Researchers_reveal_mechanisms_behind_Thiazolidined_3640_3640.shtml NIDDM Thiazolidinediones (TZD's) are drugs commonly prescribed to patients with type 2 diabetes, the most common form of diabetes. Current U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved agents are known as Actos (pioglitazone) and Avandia (rosiglitazone). These oral agents improve blood glucose levels in people with diabetes by improving insulin action in the body. While it is known that these drugs work primarily by binding to a receptor in the nucleus of cells called Peroxisome Proliferator Activated Receptor-gamma (PPARg), all of the molecular signaling events important for the drugs to work are not completely understood. Sat, 11 Mar 2006 00:51:00 PST http://www.rxpgnews.com/niddm/Researchers_reveal_mechanisms_behind_Thiazolidined_3640_3640.shtml http://www.rxpgnews.com/niddm/High-fat_diet_supresses_GnT-4a_activity_to_cause_t_3077_3077.shtml NIDDM Howard Hughes Medical Institute researchers have discovered a molecular link between a high-fat, Western-style diet, and the onset of type 2 diabetes. In studies in mice, the scientists showed that a high-fat diet disrupts insulin production, resulting in the classic signs of type 2 diabetes. In an article published in the December 29, 2005, issue of the journal Cell, the researchers report that knocking out a single gene encoding the enzyme GnT-4a glycosyltransferase (GnT-4a ) disrupts insulin production. Importantly, the scientists showed that a high-fat diet suppresses the activity of GnT-4a and leads to type 2 diabetes due to failure of the pancreatic beta cells. Fri, 30 Dec 2005 15:41:00 PST http://www.rxpgnews.com/niddm/High-fat_diet_supresses_GnT-4a_activity_to_cause_t_3077_3077.shtml http://www.rxpgnews.com/niddm/Low_blood_glucose_levels_may_complicate_gastric_by_2709_2709.shtml NIDDM Physicians monitoring patients who have undergone gastric bypass surgery should be on the alert for a new, potentially dangerous hypoglycemia (low blood glucose) complication that, while rare, may require quick treatment, according to a new study by collaborating researchers at Joslin Diabetes Center, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), and Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) and published in the October issue of the journal Diabetologia. The paper follows on the heels of a Mayo Clinic report on six similar case studies published in July in the New England Journal of Medicine. About 160,000 people undergo gastric bypass surgery every year. Tue, 25 Oct 2005 13:56:00 PST http://www.rxpgnews.com/niddm/Low_blood_glucose_levels_may_complicate_gastric_by_2709_2709.shtml http://www.rxpgnews.com/niddm/Muraglitazar_found_to_increase_adverse_cardiovascu_2701_2701.shtml NIDDM A new medication under review by the Food and Drug Administration that may regulate blood glucose levels and have a beneficial effect on blood cholesterol and lipid levels for patients with Type 2 diabetes appears to increase the risk for major adverse cardiovascular events and death, according to a new study in JAMA. The study and an accompanying editorial were released early online at www.JAMA.com because of their timeliness and potential importance for public health. Tue, 25 Oct 2005 05:05:00 PST http://www.rxpgnews.com/niddm/Muraglitazar_found_to_increase_adverse_cardiovascu_2701_2701.shtml http://www.rxpgnews.com/niddm/Insulin_s_role_in_blocking_release_of_energy_2446_2446.shtml NIDDM Chronically high levels of insulin, as is found in many people with obesity and Type II diabetes, may block specific hormones that trigger energy release into the body, according to researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine. Thu, 22 Sep 2005 04:51:00 PST http://www.rxpgnews.com/niddm/Insulin_s_role_in_blocking_release_of_energy_2446_2446.shtml http://www.rxpgnews.com/niddm/TORC2_-_Key_regulator_of_blood_glucose_levels_disc_2359_2359.shtml NIDDM In many patients with type 2 diabetes, the liver acts like a sugar factory on overtime, churning out glucose throughout the day, even when blood sugar levels are high. Scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies discovered a key cellular switch that controls glucose production in liver cells. Sat, 10 Sep 2005 23:14:00 PST http://www.rxpgnews.com/niddm/TORC2_-_Key_regulator_of_blood_glucose_levels_disc_2359_2359.shtml http://www.rxpgnews.com/niddm/Panel_Recommends_Muraglitazar_for_the_Treatment_of_2353_2353.shtml NIDDM Bristol-Myers Squibb and Merck & Co., Inc. jointly announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee voted to recommend approval of PARGLUVA(TM) (muraglitazar), the companies' investigational oral medicine for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, for use as monotherapy and in combination with metformin. The committee voted not to recommend its use in combination with a sulfonylurea. Sat, 10 Sep 2005 22:27:00 PST http://www.rxpgnews.com/niddm/Panel_Recommends_Muraglitazar_for_the_Treatment_of_2353_2353.shtml http://www.rxpgnews.com/niddm/Persons_at_risk_for_type_2_diabetes_have_lower_rat_2241_2241.shtml NIDDM The rate of insulin-stimulated energy production is significantly reduced in the muscles of lean, healthy young adults who have already developed insulin resistance and are at increased risk of developing diabetes later in life, according to a Yale School of Medicine study. Mon, 05 Sep 2005 13:41:00 PST http://www.rxpgnews.com/niddm/Persons_at_risk_for_type_2_diabetes_have_lower_rat_2241_2241.shtml http://www.rxpgnews.com/niddm/Sirt1_protein_enhances_the_secretion_of_Insulin_2087_2087.shtml NIDDM Opening the possibility of new therapies for type 2 diabetes, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that a protein called Sirt1 enhances the secretion of insulin in mice and allows them to better control blood glucose levels. Their study will appear in the August 17 issue of Cell Metabolism. Thu, 18 Aug 2005 02:23:00 PST http://www.rxpgnews.com/niddm/Sirt1_protein_enhances_the_secretion_of_Insulin_2087_2087.shtml