Coming up, a cure for diabetes

2008-09-08T07:16:00.000-07:00

Coming up, a cure for diabetes
http://www.care-diabetes-india.com/

A potential new cure for diabetes is within sight, based on advances in cell therapy, thanks to the work of Tel Aviv University researchers.

Diabetes is a debilitating condition that afflicts eight percent of Americans and can lead to blindness, kidney failure, strokes and heart disease.

Shimon Efrat of Tel Aviv University's Sackler Faculty of Medicine has developed a way to cultivate cells derived from insulin-producing beta cells from human tissue in the lab. It may be possible to implant these new healthy cells into patients with type 1 diabetes.

If successful, this method, which artificially replicates the insulin cells people need, could ensure that fewer people will die while waiting for a life-saving pancreas and kidney.

Efrat's research paves the way for new and alternative forms of treatment in cases in which organ transplantation is not an option. And one day, the procedure may become as simple as a blood transfusion.

Type 1 diabetes, the most severe form of the condition, emerges in childhood or early adulthood, when the body's immune system stops working properly and destroys the beta cells in the pancreas.

Beta cells are needed to produce insulin, and a shortage of insulin inhibits the breakdown of food into energy. By the time a diagnosis is made, most beta cells are destroyed beyond repair. Injections of insulin can ease the symptoms, but some sufferers from the disease eventually require extreme measures, such as organ transplants, to stay alive.

"The shortage of organ donors makes the development of new cell sources for cell therapy critical," said Efrat. "Using beta cell expansion, we are able to grow a massive reserve of healthy cells that may be made to produce enough insulin to restore the function of the destroyed cells."

Compared to previous research, Efrat's work has increased the number of human beta cells successfully.

"In theory, cells from one donor can be multiplied thousands of times," said Efrat, explaining that the next hurdle will be to "convince" these beta cells to produce insulin in the human body.

Another major hurdle he faces is to get a body's immune system to accept these new cells when transplanted. Human clinical trials, Efrat cautioned, may not begin for another five years or more.

The research was featured in the journal, Diabetes.

Coming up, a cure for diabetes
http://www.care-diabetes-india.com/

2008-07-27T07:56:00.000-07:00

HYPOGLYCEMIC ATTACKS

An insulin reaction (hypoglycemia) is a potentially serious side effect of diabetes management. It results when the level of glucose in the blood falls to an abnormally low level. When hypoglycemia is mild, the person with diabetes is able to recognize the symptoms of a falling blood glucose level and treat it. More severe hypoglycemia can occur suddenly and may result in the patient losing consciousness or having a seizure. This type of hypoglycemia is a medical emergency.

The following signs and symptoms often accompany mild hypoglycemia:

Anxiety
Tremors or shaky feelings
Sweating or warm feeling inside
Hunger
Nausea
Rapidly beating heart
Mental confusion or difficulty concentrating
Dizziness
Headache

The following signs and symptoms often accompany more severe hypoglycemia:

Slurred speech
Disorientation
Confusion and irrational behavior
Loss of consciousness
Seizures

The treatment for hypoglycemia is glucose to raise the blood sugar to a normal level. If the patient is awake and alert, food or drink that contains about 15 to 20 grams of carbohydrate can be offered. Good choices include 6 ounces of fruit juice or cola product, about seven Life Saver® candies, 14 ounces of milk, or four glucose tablets. After ingesting one of these foods, it will take about 10 to 15 minutes for the blood glucose level to rise.

Severe hypoglycemia that renders a patient unconscious usually must be treated with injections of glucose. Some people with diabetes carry an injection kit that contains glucagon, which makes the liver release glucose. A family member or friend can give this injection, at home or wherever the reaction occurs. If the person with diabetes does not wake up after the glucagon injection, the paramedics must be called to transport the person to a hospital. If glucagon is not available or does not raise the blood sugar enough, emergency personnel will give an intravenous injection of concentrated glucose to produce a rapid rise in blood sugar.

DCCT has proved that hypoglycaemic attacks are frequent with well controlled diabetic children. In normo-glycaemic state a delayed meal or unexpected exercise will invoke a hypoglycemic attack. On the other hand, frequent severe frequent attacks indicate poor control.

Diabetes mellitus type 1

Coming up, a cure for diabetes