Diabetes Classroom
by Robert S. Benchley
Tips and resources for living with diabetes
Diabetes Laboratory
Recent news from the research front in the fight against diabetes
No More Shots?
Researchers at Syracuse University have developed and patented a new method of oral insulin delivery that may help reduce the daily injections needed by many people with diabetes. Oral dosages have been tried before, but the insulin gets broken down in the gastrointestinal tract before it can be absorbed into the bloodstream. The researchers have found a way to bind the insulin to vitamin B-12, which allows it to pass through to the bloodstream. Testing has only been conducted with rats so far; human trials are still a few years away.
Donor Cells Show Promise
Scientists at the University of Minnesota’s Diabetes Institute for Immunology and Transplantation are reporting that tiny organs taken from the pancreas of a deceased donor may bring new hope and longer life to patients with type 1 diabetes. The organs are called islets, and they contain the beta cells that produce insulin. The transplant procedure has been performed on 1,000 people worldwide. Transplantation is tricky and the success rate is mixed, but a few patients have gone as long as seven years without having to resume insulin injections.
Hope for Inhaled Insulin
Despite the lack of success of Pfizer’s bulkily packaged Exubera, there is still hope for diabetes patients who would rather inhale insulin than inject it. MannKind Corp. says it will be ready to file for federal approval for its Technosphere Insulin — in a package hardly larger than a cell phone — at the end of 2008.
What's Your Number?
The British Medical Journal reports that 17 percent of people with diabetes don’t know whether they have type 1 or type 2. Most of those people may be getting proper treatment and are just confused about the two types, but it points to the importance of having as much information as possible about your health. If you don’t know which type you have, ask your doctor.
Helpful Resources
American Diabetes Association
1701 N. Beauregard St.
Alexandria, VA 22311
1-800-DIABETES (1-800-342-2383)
http://www.diabetes.org
American Heart Association
National Center
7272 Greenville Ave., Dallas, TX 75231
1-800-AHA-USA-1 (1-800-242-8721)
http://www.americanheart.org
American Stroke Association
National Center
7272 Greenville Ave., Dallas, TX 75231
1-888-4-STROKE (1-888-478-7653)
http://www.strokeassociation.org
National Cholesterol Education Program
NHLBI Information Center
P.O. Box 30105, Bethesda, MD
20824-0105
1-301-592-8573
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov
National Health Information Center
P.O. Box 1133,Washington, DC 20013-1133
1-800-336-4797
http://www.health.gov/nhic
National Institutes of Health
9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20892
1-301-496-4000
http://health.nih.gov
National Institute on Aging
Building 31, Room 5C27
31 Center Drive, MSC 2292
Bethesda, MD 20892
1-800-222-2225
http://www.nia.nih.gov