Artificial Pancreas Project for Future Diabetes Treatment
The artificial pancreas project is in way to development and picking up steam. Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation helps in the project to help in the hastening of availability of the artificial pancreas to the people who have diabetes. Right now, the most central growth in the market in the United States is in the continuous blood glucose meters, insulin pumps the anti-diabetic drugs. The artificial pancreas in the process of development, aims to speed up the development, regulatory approval, and the recognition of incessant glucose monitoring and artificial pancreas technology in a short time. The long term goal of the project is for the wide patient access and a successful market for the device and the products.
The epidemic of type 2 diabetes is far-reaching across the United States and is continually increasing over the years. It is said that the continuous spread of the disease will bring a major health problem and cause people a decrease life expectancy. Government will surely be in a massive health crisis that will affect every aspect of the government and the country.
The artificial pancreas is said to have been successfully tested to those who are uncontrolled inpatients or to those who are in the hospital settings signifying for the technology to improve in blood sugar level. The technology will now be tested to the real world condition and should be under a clear and regulatory guideline to ensure the future studies advance the technology to obtain by the patients as soon as possible.
Mainly, the ultimate goal of the JDRF artificial pancreas project is to speed up the development of automated management systems. The Food and Drug Administration together with the JDRF and the National Institutes of Health also with the U.S government embrace the project for its development and goal. FDA has intended an artificial pancreas as one of its critical path project for 2011
Metformin Ranks Highest As Diabetes Treatment
Metformin may be the best choice for a first-line agent to treat patients with type 2 diabetes, according to research published online March 14 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
TUESDAY, March 15 (HealthDay News) — Metformin may be the best choice for a first-line agent to treat patients with type 2 diabetes, according to research published online March 14 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Wendy L. Bennett, M.D., M.P.H., of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, and colleagues reviewed 140 randomized controlled trials and 26 observational studies to summarize the harms and benefits of various medications in the treatment of type 2 diabetes in adults.
The researchers found metformin superior to dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors for lowering HbA1c, though most medications did so by 1 percentage point. Combination regimens resulted in a similar reduction. There was a four-fold higher risk of mild to moderate hypoglycemia associated with sulfonylureas compared to metformin alone; the risk increased to five-fold when sulfonylureas were combined with metformin compared with a metformin plus thiazolidinediones combination. In addition, metformin decreased low-density lipoprotein cholesterol relative to pioglitazone, sulfonylureas, and DPP-4 inhibitors, though diarrhea occurred more often in metformin users than in thiazolidinedione users.
“Comprehensive information comparing benefits and harms of diabetes medications can facilitate personalized treatment choices for patients. Although the long-term benefits and harms of diabetes medications remain unclear, the evidence supports use of metformin as a first-line agent. Comparisons of two-drug combinations showed little to no difference in HbA1c reduction, but some combinations increased risk for hypoglycemia and other adverse events,” the authors write.
Long-Term Plan Announced for Diabetes Research
WASHINGTON — The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) has announced its 10-year strategic plan for diabetes research.
“By setting priorities and identifying the most compelling research opportunities, the strategic plan will guide NIH, other federal agencies, and the investigative community in efforts to improve diabetes treatments and identify ways to keep more people healthy,” NIDDK Director Griffin P. Rodgers, MD, said in a statement.
The strategic plan covers a number of areas, including:
The relationship between obesity and type 2 diabetes, and how both conditions may be affected by genetics and environment
Autoimmune mechanisms at work in type 1 diabetes
The biology of beta cells
Development of artificial pancreas technologies to improve management of blood sugar levels
Prevention of complications
Reduction of the impact of diabetes on groups disproportionately affected by the disease, including the elderly and racial and ethnic minorities
The NIDDK plans to continue its emphasis on clinical trials in humans, “which already [have] led to highly effective methods for managing diabetes and preventing complications,” Rodgers said.
Within each broad area, the strategic plan lists some specific areas of focus.
For instance, in the area of beta cell research, the plan includes five areas: integrated islet physiology, beta cell dysfunction and failure, prevention and treatment of diabetes through restoration and preservation of beta cell function, cellular replacement therapies, and imaging the pancreatic islet.
Obesity is another focus of the plan because of its status as a major risk factor for diabetes.
Areas of interest in obesity include:
Obesity, inflammation, insulin resistance, and macrophage function. “Macrophages and inflammation appear to be activated by excess nutrients and subsequently play a role in eliciting insulin resistance as a consequence of obesity,” the report authors noted. “Research is needed to clarify the mechanisms and outcomes of tissue-specific inflammation in obesity.”
Mechanisms underlying energy homeostasis. “Untangling the complex networks of hormonal and neural mechanisms that control energy balance in the body could point to new therapeutic targets to prevent or treat obesity,” according to the report.
Central nervous system control of thermogenesis. “New technologies are needed to facilitate study of the complex control of energy expenditure and how it contributes to weight maintenance and obesity in people,” the authors wrote.
Discovering genetic and intrauterine determinants of obesity susceptibility that predispose people to developing diabetes.
Adipose tissue biology. “Adipose tissue research is key to the development of treatments for obesity and type 2 diabetes,” the authors noted. “Understanding the mechanisms that regulate fat cell number, size, distribution, and signaling, and developing new technologies for studying adipose tissues are urgent research goals.”
Obesity prevention and treatment. “Behavioral strategies are needed to prevent inappropriate weight gain and promote or maintain weight loss in individuals across the lifespan, as well as in communities or large populations,” the authors wrote. “The development and testing of such strategies would be supported by research on the nonbiological determinants of obesity and obesity prevention and the use of technologies to tailor the delivery of interventions to individuals.”
