ALL he wanted after waking up thirsty in bed one night was to ask his dad for a glass of water.
But this drink quickly turned into something more dangerous for six-year-old Connor Hoyland when he came downstairs to find his dad, Derek, who has type one diabetes, in the family living room suffering a hypoglycemic attack.
The attack – the result of Derek’s blood-sugar levels plunging after he’d spent the evening “running around daft” to get Connor and his little sister, Amy, two, ready for bed – could have resulted in hospitalisation and even coma.
Amazingly, Connor, a P2 pupil at Penicuik’s Strathesk Primary, kept calm, offered his dad a biscuit, unlocked the front door and picked up a mobile phone to ring his mum, Clair, who was at work at Beeslack High.
Clair then rushed home to administer an emergency glucose injection and stabilise Derek’s blood-sugar levels.
Today, Connor’s parents paid tribute to their son and his composure under pressure, which they said saved his dad from becoming seriously ill.
Derek, 47, a staff trainer for Scottish Widows in Edinburgh, said: “Basically I just blacked out, I can’t really remember much about the attack.
“When I’m looking after the kids, I’m running around daft about them and that can have an effect. How much a particular type of activity can affect your blood sugar if you are diabetic can be quite unpredictable.
“I was trying to get tea as well and I took something to eat and thought it should be enough. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough for everything I was doing to keep things under control and it got to the stage where I couldn’t recover.
“But Connor did brilliantly for a six-year-old – he was really calm and collected, and able to handle it all very well.”
Clair, 38, who works as a learning support assistant, said she and her husband had not hidden his diabetes from their children, and had given Connor instructions on what to do if his dad ever suffered an attack.
She said: “I knew Derek was way past the stage of me being able to do anything over the phone and I was panicky when I left work.
“But Connor was absolutely fine. I just cannot believe how much he carried out everything we told him to do to a T. I remember afterwards I was jumping around in the school playground when I was telling people about it.”
Although he came downstairs during the attack last month to find his dad sweating, clammy and disoriented, Connor told the News he did not feel scared or worried.
He said: “When I found him, I thought something was wrong. I offered him a biscuit, but he just did not want it. So I phoned mum’s work and spoke to her and she said she was coming home.
“I was OK, I did not feel worried at all. I’m really happy about what I did.”
Bosses at the Scottish Ambulance Service, who presented Connor with a certificate of commendation last week, praised his actions.
A spokesman said: “For someone so young, Connor showed real presence of mind to stay so calm and call his mum, which was exactly the right thing to do.”
Wednesday, 3 October 2012
Tuesday, 17 July 2012
Americans Aren’t Taking Care of Themselves in Regards to Diabetes
Diabetes, whether you’re ready to admit it or not, is a serious problem in this country. At present, there are reportedly over 23 million individuals currently living with the disease in the United States alone, compared to the 366 million who are affected worldwide. By 2030, it’s expected that 29 million Americans will be combating some form of diabetes, and unless something is done on an individual level, these numbers will continue to grow.
In a new international survey, it was revealed that 82 percent of Americans are aware that being overweight could lead to diabetes down the road. Of those surveyed, 58 percent had a body mass index of over 25, which tosses them directly into the overweight or obese category. Strangely, those who qualified as obese — 29 percent of respondents had a body mass index of at least 30 — 51 percent thought they were in relatively good health. Here’s where things get interesting: 74% of surveyed Americans felt that obesity, diet, and poor physical activity were among the nation’s most alarming health issues. If that’s the case, why aren’t these individuals taking steps to improve their lives?
Dr. Peter Goldbach, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Health Dialog, believes there’s a disconnect between knowing what the risks are and actually taking steps to make a change. “Given their knowledge, people now need to realize that even small steps can make a big difference when it comes to eating better, exercising more regularly, or shedding a few pounds,” he explained. “At Health Dialog we understand the importance of wellness programs that fit easily into people’s lives and are more like fun than like a chore. It’s not about checking a box. It’s about integrating new behaviors little by little into everyday life.”
Although countries such as Great Britain, New Zealand, and Australia understood that obesity could lead to diabetes, those surveyed in China, India, Egypt, Spain, and Hong Kong were less likely to make the connection.
In a new international survey, it was revealed that 82 percent of Americans are aware that being overweight could lead to diabetes down the road. Of those surveyed, 58 percent had a body mass index of over 25, which tosses them directly into the overweight or obese category. Strangely, those who qualified as obese — 29 percent of respondents had a body mass index of at least 30 — 51 percent thought they were in relatively good health. Here’s where things get interesting: 74% of surveyed Americans felt that obesity, diet, and poor physical activity were among the nation’s most alarming health issues. If that’s the case, why aren’t these individuals taking steps to improve their lives?
Dr. Peter Goldbach, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Health Dialog, believes there’s a disconnect between knowing what the risks are and actually taking steps to make a change. “Given their knowledge, people now need to realize that even small steps can make a big difference when it comes to eating better, exercising more regularly, or shedding a few pounds,” he explained. “At Health Dialog we understand the importance of wellness programs that fit easily into people’s lives and are more like fun than like a chore. It’s not about checking a box. It’s about integrating new behaviors little by little into everyday life.”
Although countries such as Great Britain, New Zealand, and Australia understood that obesity could lead to diabetes, those surveyed in China, India, Egypt, Spain, and Hong Kong were less likely to make the connection.
Saturday, 14 April 2012
Shift Work Raises Risk of Diabetes
Scientists in the United States say shift workers getting too little sleep at the wrong time of the day could be increasing their risk of diabetes.
They have found that changes to normal sleep means the body is unable to control sugar levels.
For three weeks researchers created an environment where the participants in the trial felt constantly jet lagged.
By the end, some of the 21 participants had significantly increased sugar levels and were classified as pre-diabetic.
Lead researcher Dr Orfeu Buxton, from the Harvard Medical School, says previous studies have shown night and shift workers have a higher probability of having obesity or diabetes, but have not identified the mechanism for how it happened.
"What we found in this study was that when we induced circadian disruption (activity and rhythm disruption) in the laboratory for three weeks we could alter glucose metabolism in a way that would predict elevated diabetes risk," he said.
"[It suggests] that the mechanism by which night workers have increased diabetes risk is an insufficient release of insulin by the pancreas."
Dr Buxon says the researchers are not sure why the pancreas is not responding.
"We gave identical meals when subjects were rested and when they had recovered from the circadian disruption and sleep restriction and they did recover, but the pancreas simply failed in response to that identical meal to secrete sufficient insulin to hold glucose levels in the normal range," he said.
Jet lagged
Dr Buxon says the study simulated travelling west through four times zones each day for three weeks.
"We studied 21 individuals who had a base line period where they were fully rested, we topped off their sleep very carefully and then we submitted the subjects in very controlled diet and activity and light and dark conditions to circadian disruption - we did that by scheduling the sleep and wake and light and dark and meals to occur four hours later each day," he said.
Dr Buxon says his study shows there is an urgent need for intervention.
"There are two general types of strategies for avoiding these problems or preventing them," he said.
"One would be adapting better to night work, so using timing of light and dark and meals to avoid some of the more severe disruption.
"The other is to get better sleep during the day. So one approach is to get sleep during that day that's in an environment that's dark, silent and cool and of course, turn off the phone."
Monday, 12 March 2012
Smartphone Diabetes Device Launched
A new device launched in the UK will enable diabetics to manage their condition with a smartphone.
The £48 hi-tech glucose monitor, being rolled out at Boots stores, attaches to the Apple iPhone and iPod touch. It allows sufferers to check their blood sugar levels at any time using their phone or MP3 player.
The device, iBGStar, comes with a free Diabetes Manager App that makes it possible to store, track and analyse medical data.
Accurate monitoring of blood glucose is essential to the management of diabetes, which affects 2.9 million people in the UK. It is especially important for people with type-1 diabetes, an auto-immune disease that can lead to dangerous rises in blood sugar level.
High blood sugar can lead to serious complications including damage to the heart, kidneys, nerves and eyes.
Traditional blood glucose monitors (BGMs) are palm-sized devices that test tiny drops of blood obtained by pricking the skin.
iBGStar works the same way but is just one inch long and plugs straight into an iPhone or iPod touch. Software carries out the analysis and flashes the results onto the screen. It also allows users to follow changing trends and variations, and factors in information such as carbohydrate intake, insulin injections and exercise.
TV presenter Dominic Littlewood, who is helping to promote the device and was diagnosed with type-1 diabetes as a teenager, said: "I lead a hectic lifestyle and so keeping an eye on my blood glucose levels is challenging. iBGStar gives me the reassurance of knowing that I can get accurate blood glucose results using my iPhone, which I carry around anyway."
Sarah Johnson, from the type-1 diabetes research charity JDRF, said: "Good blood glucose control is vital to reducing the long-term effects of diabetes, but it can be difficult and demanding to achieve. As such, we welcome all developments in technology that can help people with type-1 and type-2 diabetes take control of their condition."
Dr Andrew Hockey, medical director for diabetes at the pharmaceutical company Sanofi, which produces the iBGStar, said the device was a "huge step forward". "It harnesses the power of the latest technology to empower people with diabetes to manage their condition on a day-to-day basis," he added.
The £48 hi-tech glucose monitor, being rolled out at Boots stores, attaches to the Apple iPhone and iPod touch. It allows sufferers to check their blood sugar levels at any time using their phone or MP3 player.
The device, iBGStar, comes with a free Diabetes Manager App that makes it possible to store, track and analyse medical data.
Accurate monitoring of blood glucose is essential to the management of diabetes, which affects 2.9 million people in the UK. It is especially important for people with type-1 diabetes, an auto-immune disease that can lead to dangerous rises in blood sugar level.
High blood sugar can lead to serious complications including damage to the heart, kidneys, nerves and eyes.
Traditional blood glucose monitors (BGMs) are palm-sized devices that test tiny drops of blood obtained by pricking the skin.
iBGStar works the same way but is just one inch long and plugs straight into an iPhone or iPod touch. Software carries out the analysis and flashes the results onto the screen. It also allows users to follow changing trends and variations, and factors in information such as carbohydrate intake, insulin injections and exercise.
TV presenter Dominic Littlewood, who is helping to promote the device and was diagnosed with type-1 diabetes as a teenager, said: "I lead a hectic lifestyle and so keeping an eye on my blood glucose levels is challenging. iBGStar gives me the reassurance of knowing that I can get accurate blood glucose results using my iPhone, which I carry around anyway."
Sarah Johnson, from the type-1 diabetes research charity JDRF, said: "Good blood glucose control is vital to reducing the long-term effects of diabetes, but it can be difficult and demanding to achieve. As such, we welcome all developments in technology that can help people with type-1 and type-2 diabetes take control of their condition."
Dr Andrew Hockey, medical director for diabetes at the pharmaceutical company Sanofi, which produces the iBGStar, said the device was a "huge step forward". "It harnesses the power of the latest technology to empower people with diabetes to manage their condition on a day-to-day basis," he added.
Smartphone Diabetes Device Launched
A new device launched in the UK will enable diabetics to manage their condition with a smartphone.
The £48 hi-tech glucose monitor, being rolled out at Boots stores, attaches to the Apple iPhone and iPod touch. It allows sufferers to check their blood sugar levels at any time using their phone or MP3 player.
The device, iBGStar, comes with a free Diabetes Manager App that makes it possible to store, track and analyse medical data.
Accurate monitoring of blood glucose is essential to the management of diabetes, which affects 2.9 million people in the UK. It is especially important for people with type-1 diabetes, an auto-immune disease that can lead to dangerous rises in blood sugar level.
High blood sugar can lead to serious complications including damage to the heart, kidneys, nerves and eyes.
Traditional blood glucose monitors (BGMs) are palm-sized devices that test tiny drops of blood obtained by pricking the skin.
iBGStar works the same way but is just one inch long and plugs straight into an iPhone or iPod touch. Software carries out the analysis and flashes the results onto the screen. It also allows users to follow changing trends and variations, and factors in information such as carbohydrate intake, insulin injections and exercise.
TV presenter Dominic Littlewood, who is helping to promote the device and was diagnosed with type-1 diabetes as a teenager, said: "I lead a hectic lifestyle and so keeping an eye on my blood glucose levels is challenging. iBGStar gives me the reassurance of knowing that I can get accurate blood glucose results using my iPhone, which I carry around anyway."
Sarah Johnson, from the type-1 diabetes research charity JDRF, said: "Good blood glucose control is vital to reducing the long-term effects of diabetes, but it can be difficult and demanding to achieve. As such, we welcome all developments in technology that can help people with type-1 and type-2 diabetes take control of their condition."
Dr Andrew Hockey, medical director for diabetes at the pharmaceutical company Sanofi, which produces the iBGStar, said the device was a "huge step forward". "It harnesses the power of the latest technology to empower people with diabetes to manage their condition on a day-to-day basis," he added.
The £48 hi-tech glucose monitor, being rolled out at Boots stores, attaches to the Apple iPhone and iPod touch. It allows sufferers to check their blood sugar levels at any time using their phone or MP3 player.
The device, iBGStar, comes with a free Diabetes Manager App that makes it possible to store, track and analyse medical data.
Accurate monitoring of blood glucose is essential to the management of diabetes, which affects 2.9 million people in the UK. It is especially important for people with type-1 diabetes, an auto-immune disease that can lead to dangerous rises in blood sugar level.
High blood sugar can lead to serious complications including damage to the heart, kidneys, nerves and eyes.
Traditional blood glucose monitors (BGMs) are palm-sized devices that test tiny drops of blood obtained by pricking the skin.
iBGStar works the same way but is just one inch long and plugs straight into an iPhone or iPod touch. Software carries out the analysis and flashes the results onto the screen. It also allows users to follow changing trends and variations, and factors in information such as carbohydrate intake, insulin injections and exercise.
TV presenter Dominic Littlewood, who is helping to promote the device and was diagnosed with type-1 diabetes as a teenager, said: "I lead a hectic lifestyle and so keeping an eye on my blood glucose levels is challenging. iBGStar gives me the reassurance of knowing that I can get accurate blood glucose results using my iPhone, which I carry around anyway."
Sarah Johnson, from the type-1 diabetes research charity JDRF, said: "Good blood glucose control is vital to reducing the long-term effects of diabetes, but it can be difficult and demanding to achieve. As such, we welcome all developments in technology that can help people with type-1 and type-2 diabetes take control of their condition."
Dr Andrew Hockey, medical director for diabetes at the pharmaceutical company Sanofi, which produces the iBGStar, said the device was a "huge step forward". "It harnesses the power of the latest technology to empower people with diabetes to manage their condition on a day-to-day basis," he added.
Friday, 24 February 2012
More Evidence on Common Diabetes Drug Lowering Cancer Risk
More Evidence on Common Diabetes Drug Lowering Cancer Risk
A new study has added further evidence to claims that the commontype 2 diabetes drug, metformin, can help to reduce the risk of dying from cancer. The research revealed thatcancer patients who also have type 2diabetes and who were being treated with metformin monotherapyexperienced a substantially lower overall mortality as compared to cancerpatients without diabetes.
The study, involving 8,392 patients withtype 2 diabetes and 104,016 non-diabetics who developed a first tumour, was published in Diabetes Care. It showed that those diabetics who had been taking metformin monotherapy for three months prior to their diagnosis of cancer had significantly reduced overall mortality as compared to cancer patients without diabetes.
It was also found that cancer mortality is greater for people with diabetes than those without, but that the quite small difference could be due to reduced survival from diabetes, not a worse outcome from the cancer. The research argued that the presence of diabetes was seen to substantially increased mortality in both breast cancer andprostate cancer, but that diabetes was linked with improved lung cancer survival as compared to non-diabetics.
The study follows another recent work that showed exposure to metformin can lessen cellular mutation rate as well as the accumulation of damage to keywordDNA – which claimed that such mutations are directly involved in carcinogenesis, but that reducing cancer risk by inhibiting the mutation rate could be a feasible option.
The study, involving 8,392 patients withtype 2 diabetes and 104,016 non-diabetics who developed a first tumour, was published in Diabetes Care. It showed that those diabetics who had been taking metformin monotherapy for three months prior to their diagnosis of cancer had significantly reduced overall mortality as compared to cancer patients without diabetes.
It was also found that cancer mortality is greater for people with diabetes than those without, but that the quite small difference could be due to reduced survival from diabetes, not a worse outcome from the cancer. The research argued that the presence of diabetes was seen to substantially increased mortality in both breast cancer andprostate cancer, but that diabetes was linked with improved lung cancer survival as compared to non-diabetics.
The study follows another recent work that showed exposure to metformin can lessen cellular mutation rate as well as the accumulation of damage to keywordDNA – which claimed that such mutations are directly involved in carcinogenesis, but that reducing cancer risk by inhibiting the mutation rate could be a feasible option.
Monday, 16 January 2012
Stem Cells May Help in Type 1 Diabetes
Stem Cells May Help in Type 1 Diabetes
Therapy using the patient's lymphocytes passed through a device with cord blood stem cells may "educate" the patient's cells to provide safe, lasting treatment for patients with type 1 diabetes, according to the results of a small Chinese study.
Those patients with moderate diabetes and some residual beta cell function (Group A) exhibited improved fasting C-peptide levels at 12 and 24 weeks post-treatment, Yong Zhao, PhD, of the University of Illinois at Chicago, and colleagues reported online in BMC Medicine.
Patients with more severe disease and no residual beta cell function (Group B) also showed improvement at every follow-up.
Treatment consisted of passing lymphocytes from the patient's blood through discs containing adherent multipotent cord blood stem cells. After two or three hours, the lymphocytes were collected and returned to the patient.
No participants suffered any serious adverse events, reporting only mild discomfort during venipuncture and apheresis, which resolved at the conclusion of the procedure. There were also no significant differences at 24 hours after treatment in white blood cell counts or body temperature.
In the phase I/II open-label trial, the researchers enrolled 15 patients with type 1 diabetes (mean duration 8.5 ± 6.4 years) receiving care at the General Hospital of the Jinan Military District. Patients were enrolled if they met the 2010 diagnosis criteria of the American Diabetes Association and blood tests found at least one autoantibody to pancreatic islet beta cells.
Exclusion criteria included liver, kidney, or heart disease, pregnancy, use of immunosuppressive medications, viral diseases, or immunodeficiency diseases. After two days of hospitalization to monitor early adverse reactions, follow-ups were scheduled at 4, 12, 24, 40 weeks after treatment.
Twelve patients were divided into two groups of six according to the severity of their diabetes and whether they had any residual beta cell function. Both cohorts were given full treatments. A third group of three individuals was given a single sham treatment to serve as a process-control.
Addressing the autoimmunity that underlies type 1 diabetes has been a major impediment to using stem cells for long-term treatment. Studies in mice have shown that cord blood stem cells can be used to alter immune function and they have been shown to modulate the immune function of type 1 diabetes patient-derived islet beta cell-specific T cell clones.
The researchers wanted to know if re-educating a patient's lymphocytes had the potential to address the autoimmunity concerns in a way that reduced donor risk, minimized ethical concerns, and avoided graft-versus-host disease.
C-peptide production at baseline in Group B was less than the minimum sensitivity of the test following a 75-g oral glucose tolerance. They had marked improvement at 12 weeks that continued to 40 weeks (P=0.026). The control group showed no changes at any time.
The median daily dose of insulin was reduced by 38% at 12 weeks (36 ± 13.2 units/day versus 22 ± 1.8 units/day) and 25% in the more severe group (48 ± 7.4 units/day versus 36 ± 4.4 units/day). These were maintained through the entire 24 weeks this measure was tracked.
Median hemoglobin A1C showed similar results.
In Group A the median was lowered from 8.73% ± 2.49 at baseline to 6.82% ± 0.49 at 12 weeks after treatment (P=0.019). This measure fell 1.68% ± 0.42 at 12 weeks in Group B with no change in the controls (P=0.86). These indicated to the authors that immune education of cord blood stem cells could lead to regeneration of islet beta cell function.
They also measured changes in the CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ regulatory T lymphocytes (Tregs) to see if measures of autoimmunity were altered. The percentage of Tregs in peripheral blood was significantly increased at 4 weeks in the treatment groups but not in the sham controls (P<0.0001).
There was no evidence of transfer of the cord blood stem cells to the patients as a result of the process of treating the lymphocytes, according to the investigators.
"This trial provides powerful evidence that exposing a patient's lymphocytes to [cord blood stem cells] can achieve the two essential outcomes required to cure T1D: reversal of autoimmunity and regeneration of islet beta cells," wrote the authors. "Importantly, the trial provides additional support for the mechanisms of [cord blood stem cells]-mediated immune response and demonstrates these mechanisms are apparent and lasting in patients."
Friday, 6 January 2012
Sleep Woes Tied to Blood Sugar Levels in Diabetic Kids
Sleep Woes Tied to Blood Sugar Levels in Diabetic Kids
Children with type 1 diabetes may be more likely to have sleep problems that worsen not only their blood sugar control, but also their quality of life, researchers found.
Diabetic children with more nightly apnea events had significantly higher glucose levels and spent more time in hyperglycemia than young type 1 diabetics without sleep disturbances, Michelle Perfect, PhD, of the University of Arizona in Tucson, and colleagues reported online in Sleep.
And those who reported being sleepier during the day had more trouble in school and worse quality of life, they found.
Diabetic children with more nightly apnea events had significantly higher glucose levels and spent more time in hyperglycemia than young type 1 diabetics without sleep disturbances, Michelle Perfect, PhD, of the University of Arizona in Tucson, and colleagues reported online in Sleep.
And those who reported being sleepier during the day had more trouble in school and worse quality of life, they found.
"Despite adhering to recommendations for good diabetic health, many youth with type 1 diabetes have difficulty maintaining control of their blood sugars," Perfect said in a statement. "We found that it could be due to abnormalities in sleep, such as daytime sleepiness, lighter sleep, and sleep apnea. All of these make it more difficult to have good blood sugar control."
Some work has shown that sleep can impact glucose regulation. In particular, slow-wave, or deep sleep, may be important in glucose maintenance and insulin sensitivity, the researchers said. In fact, some studies have shown that sleep architecture may be altered in diabetes patients, and they may spend more time in lighter stages of sleep and in the REM stage, and less time in deeper sleep.
Yet most research in this area has focused on adults with type 2 diabetes, not young people with type 1 disease, they noted.
So Perfect and colleagues assessed 50 type 1 diabetes patients ages 10 to 16 -- 40 of whom had polysomnography data -- and in part of the study, compared them with 40 matched controls.
They found that kids with an apnea-hypopnea index score of 1.5 events per hour or greater had higher blood glucose levels on continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) and a spent greater percentage of time at night in hyperglycemia (P=0.021 for both).
With regard to sleep architecture, when compared with healthy controls, youth with type 1 diabetes spent more time in N2 sleep, or lighter sleep (P=0.003), and less time in N3 sleep, or deeper sleep (P=0.011), particularly during the first half of the night, Perfect and colleagues wrote.
Those with diabetes also experienced more central apnea events per hour (P=0.029), although there were no significant differences in total apnea events, the researchers said.
Perfect and colleagues found that spending less time in N3 sleep, or deep sleep, was associated with higher HbA1c levels (P=0.003), and that more time spent in N2 sleep, or a lighter sleep, was associated with higher HbA1c levels (P<0.001), higher glucose levels (P=0.014), and more time in hyperglycemia (P=0.03).
The researchers also found that self-reported daytime sleepiness was linked with compromised psychosocial functioning.
For instance, greater daytime sleepiness was significantly associated with worse grades in school (P<0.001), reduced disease-related quality of life (P=0.004), more diabetes-related worry (P=0.005), and greater depressive symptoms (P=0.027).
Self-reported sleep problems also were related to lower scores on state standardized tests of reading, the researchers found, and spending more time in N2 sleep, or lighter sleep, was associated with worse scores on state math tests.
The findings regarding school performance "should serve as an impetus for future research to better understand the role of sleep in altering school functioning in youth with diabetes," the researchers wrote.
The researchers concluded that the study "adds to the burgeoning evidence that sleep-disordered breathing may result in higher glucose levels," but that further study is needed -- particularly a longitudinal trial to discern whether sleep problems affect glucose control, or if dysregulated glucose contributes to sleep problems in young type 1 diabetics.
They added that clinicians should routinely ask about sleep habits in this population as part of routine care.
The study was limited by its small population, and because it didn't control for insulin dosage. Also, it precluded analysis of the effects of severe sleep-disordered breathing on this population.
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