ScienceDaily (Aug. 16, 2010) — A team led by researchers from North Carolina State University has developed two new approaches for incorporating antimicrobial properties into microneedles — vanishingly thin needles that hold great promise for use in portable medical devices. Researchers expect the findings to spur development of new medical applications using microneedles.

Microneedles cause less pain, tissue damage and skin inflammation for patients, and could be a significant component of portable medical devices for patients with chronic conditions, such as Parkinson’s disease or diabetes. However, longstanding concerns regarding the possibility of infection associated with microneedles have been an obstacle to their widespread adoption — until now.

The first new technique is for use with microneedles that would be incorporated into permanent or semi-permanent medical devices — such as glucose monitors for patients with diabetes. The researchers found that modifying the surface of a microneedle with an antimicrobial coating both prevented microbial growth and did not adversely affect skin cell growth. Researchers applied the coating using a laser-based vapor deposition process that created a thin film of silver (which is antimicrobial) on the microneedle surface.

The second approach is applicable to degradable microneedles, which are designed to dissolve on the skin surface and can be used for single-use drug delivery situations such as vaccine delivery. This technique involves incorporating an antimicrobial agent into the material used to make the microneedle itself. As the degradable microneedle dissolves it releases the antimicrobial agent, guarding against infection.

“We expect these findings to result in more widespread use of microneedles in outpatient treatments and technologies,” says Dr. Roger Narayan, lead author of the research. “For example, microneedles could be used as a relatively pain-free and user-friendly alternative to conventional needles in diabetes treatment. They may also figure into new technologies pertaining to the delivery of anti-cancer drugs.” Narayan is a professor in the joint biomedical engineering department of NC State’s College of Engineering and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The research, “Two Photon Polymerization Of Microneedles For Transdermal Drug Delivery,” will be presented May 24 at the First International Conference On Microneedles in Atlanta. The work was funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. The research was co-authored by Dr. Nancy Monteiro-Riviere, professor of investigative dermatology and toxicology at the Center for Chemical Toxicology Research and Pharmacokinetics at NC State, as well as researchers from North Dakota State University, Laser Zentrum Hannover and other institutions.

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by North Carolina State University.

Journal Reference:

Shaun D Gittard, Aleksandr Ovsianikov, Boris N Chichkov, Anand Doraiswamy, Roger J Narayan. Two-photon polymerization of microneedles for transdermal drug delivery. Expert Opinion on Drug Delivery, 2010; 7 (4): 513 DOI: 10.1517/17425241003628171

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Tags: techniques, skin inflammation, medical, glucose monitors

Take type 2 diabetes and your health very seriously. You might know if the patient with Type 2 Diabetes cannot manage and treat it adequately , the disease can consequently,finally lead to very serious complications such as vision loss, heart disease, and amputation. When combined with some other factors, it can lead to death. You could say that one of the worst thing applicable to this form of the condition is that it could be producing damage changes for years prior to a sufferer comes to detect it and gets medical treatment by their physician. As is often the case, patients with Type 2 Diabetes do not receive appropriate diagnosis of Type II Diabetes until one or more complications that are detrimentalhave developed. It is accepted that the silent long-term damage can be immense and irreparable.

 

For those just diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, make the changes necessary now in order to hold off the complications of the disease. This means making the correct changes in a Diabetes Type 2 individual’s nutritional intake and exercise that one’s  physician recommends. It means changing some bad habits that may make your disease worse like smoking or drinking alcohol and drinks with added sugar. It subsequently, means taking care of yourself correctly in order to try to hold off the longer-term complications of the disease. It is an undisputed fact that one of the best ways to take care of your Diabetes 2 is definitely more education. Keep on top of the latest news about Diabetes and its subsequent treatment. Regularly visit your doctor for the latest advice he has. Don’t think that you can wait awhile to deal with the disease. Start now to stop the devastating effects.

 

Type 2 diabetes is a costly disease in terms of health as well as money. Money apperars to spin some people’s wheels, so here are some facts related to money. Did you know as the disease progresses, the sufferer with Diabetes Type 2 starts to deal with increasing medical and healthcare costs. With insurance, they still may face tens of thousands in uncompensated medical costs. That money comes out of their pocket. As the disease can then contribute to other medical conditions, the costs increase further. It is known to cost thousands of dollars when someone has a heart attack, eye damage, stroke, and circulation problems. There are indeed untold costs when it leads to premature disability and death. If you don’t worry about your health, you might want to think about your wallet.

 

When children and teens receive a type 2 diabetes diagnosis, the adults in their lives need to take it very seriously. They are facing a lifetime of dealing with this disease. If not managed properly, their life may be short. It certainly not something to dismiss or diminish in their lives. They will then have to learn to manage it and follow through on the facets vitalto deal with it. If they do not, those costs will be too high.

Tags: type ii diabetes, undisputed fact, case patients, diabetes 2, drinking alcohol, type 2 diabetes, diabetes type 2

ScienceDaily (Aug. 18, 2010) — Black and Hispanic kidney donors are significantly more likely than white donors to develop hypertension, diabetes and chronic kidney disease, according to new Saint Louis University research published in the August 19, 2010 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

“We’ve long known that diabetes and hypertension disproportionately affect blacks and Hispanics. Our research found that these racial disparities also exist among living kidney donors, post donation,” said Krista Lentine, M.D., associate professor of internal medicine and lead researcher at Saint Louis University School of Medicine. “Increased attention to health outcomes among demographically diverse kidney donors is needed.”

Researchers say that while these findings should not be used to discourage anyone from donating on the basis of race and ethnicity alone, these factors should be taken into consideration when counseling potential donors about their future health risks.

Live Kidney Donation Disparities

Given the significant organ shortage, many patients with end-stage renal disease rely on living donor kidney transplantation. According to Lentine, in 2006, approximately 27,000 live donor kidney transplants were reported worldwide, and live donors supplied nearly 40 percent of kidney transplants in the U.S.

The need for live kidney donors is greatest among blacks, who are significantly more likely to develop end-stage renal disease, yet have less access to kidney transplants. Researchers say that blacks are less likely to identify a potential donor and their potential donors are more likely to have health conditions at evaluation that limit their ability to donate.

About the Research

Researchers used insurance claims from a private insurance provider, linked with identifiers from the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, to examine variations in the risk of post-donation medical diagnoses according to race.

All potential kidney donors undergo an evaluation that focuses on excluding patients with medical abnormalities at the time of assessment. After kidney donation, researchers found that in comparison to white donors, black donors were 52 percent more likely to be diagnosed with hypertension Hispanic donors also were 36 percent more likely than white donors to be diagnosed with hypertension. Additionally, black and Hispanic donors were more than two times as likely as white donors to be diagnosed with chronic kidney disease and to have drug-treated diabetes. Relative patterns were similar to those in the general population.

While normal pre-donation medical evaluation increases the overall likelihood of long-term good health for donors, Lentine says these screenings alone cannot be expected to eliminate the impact of epidemiologic risk factors for disease over time, such as aging and race.

“We are not proposing any change to donor selection policy based on these data,” Lentine said. “However, these findings show that we need a national policy for longer donor follow up, as opposed to the current two-year mandated tracking, so that we can capture and monitor the outcomes of donors from all sociodemographic groups.”

Understanding the Risks of Post-Donation Hypertension and Diabetes

According to Lentine, more studies are needed to understand the consequences of post-donation diabetes and hypertension on the overall health of the donors. In the general population, hypertension and diabetes are typically associated with increased risk of end-organ complications. However, because kidney donors often receive closer surveillance and early intervention, the implications may be milder in this group.

Even if the risk of serious end-organ damage is small with good care, better understanding of the risk for hypertension and diabetes is relevant to counseling donors on possible financial risks from future prescriptions, medical treatment and associated insurance premiums.

“All donors should be committed to long-term medical follow up so that any health conditions that arise over time can be recognized and treated,” Lentine said.

Co-authors of the study include Lentine, Mark A Schnitzler, Ph.D., and Huiling Xiao, M.S., from the Center for Outcomes Researcher at Saint Louis University School of Medicine; Georges Saab, M.D., and Daniel C. Brennan, M.D., from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis; Paolo R. Salvalaggio, M.D., Ph.D., and Connie L Davis, M.D., from University of Washington in Seattle; David Axelrod, M.D., from Dartmouth — Hitchcock Medical Center; from Kevin C Abbott, M.D., M.P.H, from Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

The study was funded in part by grants from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by Saint Louis University, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Tags: Kidney, england journal of medicine, new england journal, chronic kidney disease, Among, Health

Using diet for diabetes management is a very good way to treat people suffering from such kind of health problem. Diabetic individuals should not only rely on pure medications, but also on maintaining a good diet as well. Such a condition needs utmost attention and this includes watching what the patients eat along with his eating patterns and habits.

There are certain foods which are considered as natural diabetes cure that also contain vital nutrients known to fight such disease. Bitter melon is the best and popular natural remedy for diabetes. Bitter melon may not be the most tempting fruit you can find but based on tests conducted by experts, this fruit has shown remarkable ability in absorbing glucose directly into the blood stream.

Fenugreek is another healthy option you can incorporate into diabetes management with diet,especially if you want to experience exotic food even while on medication. Fenugreek has the ability to normalize blood sugar levels despite being relatively small in size. This is particularly important to diabetic individuals who are not yet dependent on insulin. Being considered as a spice ,fenugreek is well-accepted by people in Middle East and Asia.

Diabetes management with diet is always about getting the right kind of food. It should in no way prevent you from eating . However, the kind of food that diabetes patients need must always go for the healthier selection. It s worth noting that each food that a diabetic takes affects his health condition. Whatever type of diabetic diet planyou take, it should always match the medical supplies you are taking. Before going on a diabetes diet patients must seek the help of doctors and experts on this field to ensure that your diet suits your medication.

Tags: blood sugar levels, diabetes diet, natural remedy, bitter melon, diabetes patients, diabetes cure, how to manage diabetes

No two diabetics will present with exactly the same symptoms. Some are diagnosed quickly and easily while others take time to accurately diagnose as diabetes. Correct diagnosis can be difficult to discern depending on the severity of the symptoms. You need to know which symptoms are almost always diabetes related. Read on to learn more about a few of the major symptoms. If you or your loved ones experience any of these symptoms I urge you to see a health care provider immediately.

The most discernible symptom of both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes is that the body halts production of insulin the way it typically does so. Still, this is not as apparent as, say, the symptoms from the common flu. Generally, is only noticed when you meet with your doctor for another matter. When a blood or organ test is done, the lower levels of insulin can be observed. Type 1 often times gets diagnosed when a person is rather young and is usually discovered on the account of the physician trying to diagnose a bug.

Most often, cuts and scrapes, when treated in an appropriate manner, take very little time to heal. Most will scab over and start to heal within a week. Some disappear in that much time. Although, when you have diabetes, even simple wounds might not heal correctly.

This is because your body’s ability to send in healing white blood cells and rebuild the skin is affected by the lack of sugar and insulin in the blood. If you have observed that you’ve been having difficulty healing, in comparison to the past, you may need to talk to your medical professional. This is almost always an indicator of a more pressing matter.

Nausea, vomiting and dehydration are the primary symptoms and indicators of the onset of Type 1. These typically take place when the body halts the production of insulin or the potassium levels get out of whack. Type diabetes, also called juvenile onset diabetes, happens because of genetics and heredity and not typically from factors that can be regulated. If your child appears to have the stomach flu and is also enduring some weird things with their personality, requesting that he or she be test for diabetes is a decent idea. A pediatrician will most likely do some initial testing anyway, just to rule against the sickness.

Symptoms can vary widely from one person to another. It all depends on the severity of the disease and how far along it is in your body. Some people may experience no symptoms at all. Others may show a whole range of common symptoms. The first line of defense a person has against this disease is understanding how it manifests itself. If you can recognize diabetes’s symptoms you can seek treatment early and get the disease under control before it gets out of hand.

For information on getting the word out regarding diabetes announcements, visit the following sites on Offline Marketing or Offline Marketing

Tags: Diabetes, Major, production of insulin, juvenile onset diabetes, type diabetes, white blood cells, cuts and scrapes, correct diagnosis, health care provider

ScienceDaily (Aug. 18, 2010) — Emodin, a natural product that can be extracted from various Chinese herbs including Rheum palmatum and Polygonum cuspidatum, shows promise as an agent that could reduce the impact of type 2 diabetes. Findings published in this month’s edition of the British Journal of Pharmacology show that giving emodin to mice with diet-induced obesity lowered blood glucose and serum insulin, improved insulin resistance and lead to more healthy levels of lipid in the blood. It also decreased body weight and reduced central fat mass.

“If repeated in humans, all of these changes would be beneficial for people affected by type 2 diabetes or other metabolic diseases associated with insulin resistance,” says lead author Dr Ying Leng, who works in the Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Science, Shanghai, China.

Research is increasingly showing that an enzyme known as 11ß-HSD1 plays a role in the body’s response to sugar contained in a person’s diet. When someone eats sugar-containing food a lot of glucose floods into the blood stream. In response, the body releases insulin and this hormone triggers various actions that help to clear excess glucose from the blood. The body, however, also has another set of hormones known as glucocorticoids, which have the opposite effect to insulin. And this is where 11ß-HSD1 fits in, because this enzyme increases glucocorticoids’ ability to act.

The research revealed for the first time that emodin is a potent selective inhibitor of 11ß-HSD1, and as a result it effectively limits the effect of the glucocorticoids, and ameliorates diabetes and insulin resistance.

“Our work showed that this natural extract from Chinese herbs could point the way to a new way of helping people with type 2 diabetes as well as other metabolic disorders. To develop it further, researchers would need to develop chemicals that have similar effects as emodin, and see which if any of these could be used as a therapeutic drug,” says Dr Leng.

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by Wiley – Blackwell, via AlphaGalileo.

Journal Reference:

Ying Feng, Su-ling Huang, Wei Dou, Song Zhang, Jun-hua Chen, Yu Shen, Jian-hua Shen, Ying Leng. Emodin, a natural product, selectively inhibits 11ß-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 and ameliorates metabolic disorder in diet-induced obese mice. British Journal of Pharmacology, 2010; 161: 113-126 DOI: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.2010.00826.x

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Tags: insulin resistance, comes, Diabetes, metabolic diseases, excess glucose, herbs, Novel

ScienceDaily (Aug. 19, 2010) — Taking one type of cell and transforming it into another type is now possible. Cells taken from the thymus have been transformed into skin cells — a discovery that may have important ramifications for the field of organ regeneration. The findings, published on the 19th of August in Nature, show that these stem cells change their genetic make-up according to their environment to contribute to the long-term functioning of the skin, even producing hair for up to a year after implantation.

In collaboration with the University of Edinburgh, UK, the Swiss research team with European colleagues* isolated thymic epithelial cells (TECs)-taken from the thymus of a rat-and integrated them into the rat’s skin cells with surprising results. These epithelial cells taken from the thymus, an organ found in the thoracic cage, switch over from what they were originally created by the body to do and take up a novel role according to their new environment.

“These cells really change track, expressing different genes and becoming more important,” explains Professor Yann Barrandon, head of the Laboratory Stem Cell Dynamics, a chair shared by the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), the University of Lausanne and its teaching hospital (CHUV).

While in the thymus, these cells teach T-cells to recognize and destroy bacteria and cancer cells-a key component to the immune system. The experiment’s results show that these cells have the ability to express genetic markers unlike its original make-up when placed in different microenviroments. Until now, experiments using hair follicle stem cells to maintain hair and skin growth have met with limited results. The thymic stem cells have proven effective for up to a year after implantation-a major improvement over the three-week performance of bona fide hair follicle stem cells.

“This operation could have theoretically been reproduced with other organs,” continues EPFL Professor Barrandon. Not only could these findings create new opportunities in the field of organ transplantation and regeneration, for severe burn victims for example, but they also call into question standard biological models by showing that it is possible to create tissues from cells with different embryonic origins.

When an animal develops, embryos form three cellular or germ layers – ectoderm, endoderm and mesoderm – which then go on to form the body’s organs and tissues.

Ectoderm becomes skin and nerves, endoderm becomes the gut and organs such as the liver, pancreas and thymus, and mesoderm becomes muscle, bones and blood.

Until now it was believed that germ layer boundaries could not be crossed – that cells originating in one germ layer could not develop into cells associated with one of the others.

This latest research shows that thymus cells, originating from the endoderm, can turn in to skin stem cells, which originate from the ectoderm origin. This suggests germ layer boundaries are less absolute than previously thought.

*EuroStemCell, EuroSyStem, OptiStem, National Institute of Diabetes and Kidney Diseases, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International.

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Journal Reference:

Paola Bonfanti, Stéphanie Claudinot, Alessandro W. Amici, Alison Farley, C. Clare Blackburn, Yann Barrandon. Microenvironmental reprogramming of thymic epithelial cells to skin multipotent stem cells. Nature, 2010; 466 (7309): 978 DOI: 10.1038/nature09269

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Tags: laboratory, transform, skin cells, cells, cancer cells

How can you manage your risk of developing Type two diabetes? It is an undisputed fact that numerous people face a greater likelihood of developing this condition because of family history and life style options. If someone in your family gets the condition, you are also much more likely to get this disease than anyone in the general population. Nevertheless, having a risk doesn’t mean you will always develop the disease. You can manage the risk with a just few changes in your daily life. Just making a few changes can significantly reduce the chance you get the disease. This includes changes in diet, exercise, and weight.

 

The best diet for someone trying to manage their risk of developing type 2 diabetes is just about the same as the best diet for everyone else. It includes limiting the amounts of sweets and unhealthy fats in your diet. It includes adding more fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet. It includes adding wholegrain foods and high fibre foods as well. Choosing healthy fats over unhealthy fats is important. Most plant-based proteins provide healthy fats. You might know meat, poultry, as well as fish are frequently also classified of having unhealthy fats. Its great to know fiber is also excellent as it helps regulate how fast the body absorbs food and it gives a fuller feeling faster.

 

Exercise is important for managing your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Insulin resistance appears to be greater in more sedentary or ‘sit down’ lifestyles. That reverses when you increase the amount of physical activity in your life. Therefore, adding 30 minutes once a day for five days in a week will aid you address your risk. It will also help reverse any insulin resistance already in place. It is a reported fact It helps combat cardio-vascular disease and other conditions that people with Type two Diabetes face in higher numbers than those in the general population.

 

Exercise and diet changes will likely lead to losing any excess weight and maintaining an ideal weight. Many people can manage their risk by just losing as little as 5 to 10 percent of their body weight. Even that modest change can significantly lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Know that another part of reducing a potential Diabetes Type 2 sufferer’s chance of possibly gaining the condition is making sure your healthcare provider is aware of the chance. Regular screening may detect rising glucose levels early. Your doctor can give you a heads up if you need to do more. Remember, Diabetes will come on silently initially. It is paramount to move now to approach your chance of getting Diabetes 2.

 

Tags: insulin resistance, high fibre foods, type two diabetes, type ii diabetes, diabetes insulin resistance, fresh fruits and vegetables

ScienceDaily (Aug. 20, 2010) — Scientists from Department of Exercise and Sport Sciences have in collaboration with colleagues at Harvard University discovered a novel molecular pathway which is activated in muscles during exercise.

Skeletal muscles combust both lipids and carbohydrates during exercise. The carbohydrates consist of both glycogen stored in the muscles as well as glucose extracted from the blood. Being a major sink for glucose disposal, skeletal muscle represents an important model tissue for studying the intracellular signaling pathways leading to increased glucose transport.

This is important because it is known that the contraction-induced signaling to stimulate glucose transport is distinct from that utilized by insulin. Thus, for individuals in which insulin only has little effect (insulin resistance) the contraction-induced pathway represents an alternative pathway to increase glucose uptake. For pharmaceutical companies this pathway represents a possible and attractive alternative signaling pathway for pharmacological intervention in regulating glucose homeostasis.

Researchers from Department of Exercise and Sport Sciences, University of Copenhagen have in collaboration with scientists at the Joslin Diabetes Center, Harvard University in Boston focused on a novel protein called SNARK which was found be activated in skeletal muscle in response to contraction and exercise in both rodents and humans. Furthermore, by the use of transgenic animal models and by over-expressing an inactive mutant of SNARK in mouse skeletal muscle, it could be shown that contraction-induced glucose uptake was severely blunted by 40-50% compared with control animals.

The data in this study clearly support a role for SNARK in regulating glucose transport during muscle contraction and exercise, but it also strongly suggests that multiple, or redundant signals may mediate the effects of contraction on activating glucose transport.

These data have now been published in the journal Proceedings of the Nation Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by University of Copenhagen.

Journal Reference:

Koh et al. Sucrose nonfermenting AMPK-related kinase (SNARK) mediates contraction-stimulated glucose transport in mouse skeletal muscle. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2010; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1008131107

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Tags: Molecular, increases, Glucose, glucose homeostasis, glucose disposal, glucose uptake, muscle contraction, insulin resistance, molecular pathway

Upon discovering that you have Diabetes 2, you are first instructed by your physician to make diet and exercise changes. A Diabetes Type 2 patient’s new life-style changes must include making nutritious food choices, reduced calorie intake, and implementing a regular physical activity routine. Such changes may appear overwhelming, but are required in order for you to manage your Type two Diabetes. Also, these adaptations will help you in lowering your blood glucose to appropriate levels. But, while these changes are critical and of benefit, there is also the beginning of therapies such as using insulin to help control your Type II Diabetes.

 

Lifestyle changes unfortunately are not permanent solutions to treating Type 2 diabetes. Over time, your pancreas will start to make less and less insulin then eventually it will be unable to meet the requirements of the body. This is why insulin injections are necessary. Insulin can be injected or infused. In either case, it is extremely effective in Type 2 Diabetes. It can definitely be hard for some people with Type 2 Diabetes to commence insulin injections. Barriers may be present that can stop a person from commencing insulin dosing. The majority are psychological; others can be financial or physical. If insulin injections are commenced early there is a largely reduced risk for eye disease, kidney disease and nerve damage. The good news is the need to rely on insulin should not be considered as a Type 2 Diabetes sufferer’s failure, but more like a required ingredient to approaching Type 2 Diabetes.

 

So, when does a person begin taking insulin? Insulin injections are usually started on those who cannot lower their blood glucose levels by either correct diet and physical activity. Srating on insulin , it’s vital to be correctly educated and gain as much knowledge about it as practicable. Your pharmacist,  doctor and diabetic educators are helpful health-care providers that can give you information about your diabetic medication therapy. You might know there are a number of types of insulin. Insulin that continuously gives your body adequate amounts of it is known as “long acting” insulin. This insulin mimics the pancreas’s function to release it on a continual basis.

 

Insulin that is quickly responsive, like the pancreas during meals, is called bolus insulin or “short acting.” This is often injected into your blood stream after you’ve eaten a meal that may spike your glucose levels. Your healthcare provider will assess your insulin requirements based on your pancreas’s ability to output it. When Type 2 diabetics begin insulin, they are usually started with a daily injection of long lasting insulin. Where one progresses to, depends on your diet plan and exercise levels, will determine which type of insulin you will need.

 

Tags: correct diet, type two diabetes, blood glucose levels, nerve damage, diabetes type 2, life style changes