Savvy Updates 4/22//19: Liver Targeted Insulin, Insulin Producing Beta Cells, Electric Toothbrush, Longevity and Restricted Calorie Diet

Diasome’s Liver Targeted Insulin was reported by Martin Hensel for InsulinNation.com, 18 April 2019. Nanotechnology insulin additive improves action profiles and potentially reduces required doses, according to the report.

In normal human physiology, the liver stores glucose at mealtime when insulin is released by the pancreas to prevent hyperglycemia and releases glucose when it senses glucagon to prevent hypoglycemia. This critical capability of the liver is mostly bypassed with injected insulin since nearly all of this insulin is absorbed by muscle and fat and does not reach the liver. In contrast, muscle doesn’t have glucagon receptors, so injected glucagon must directly stimulate liver action for glucose release to counteract hypoglycemia.

Without liver-regulated glucose control, managing blood glucose is much more difficult. Faster and longer-acting insulins help, as do pumps and CGMs, but the fine-grained control of liver function promises much better control for people with T1D.

Diasome Pharmaceuticals, Inc.(based in Cleveland, OH, www.diasome.com) nanotechnology creates strong bonds with insulin molecules that prevent insulin absorption by muscle and fat and enables that insulin to reach the liver where it can support normal physiological function. These strong bonds do not slow insulin action or diminish the duration of action. In fact, early studies show that getting more insulin to the liver speeds initial action and improves time in range.

Read more: Diasome’s Liver Targeted Insulin

Insulin Producing Beta Cells May Treat Diabetes was reported by Chaitany Godse for BusinessHerald.co, 18 April 2019, regarding a study that was published in the journal, Stem Cell Reports, January 2019.

New study reported that conversion of stem cells induced from pluripotent stem cells into insulin-producing cells could lead to functional diabetes cure. Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis converted skin cells from patients into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells). These are effectively ‘blank slate’ cells that can then be coaxed to become almost any other type of cell in the body.

“Previously, the beta cells we manufactured could secrete insulin in response to glucose, but they were more like fire hydrants, either making a lot of insulin or none at all,” said Jeffrey Millman, principal investigator of the study at Washington University in St. Louis. iPS cells have ability to differentiate into certain specialized cells by exposing them to specific growth factors at different stages of development. For the new study, the team changed the previous procedure for converting iPS cells into beta cells and managed to make ones that function more effectively. To examine the efficiency of new beta cells, the team transplanted them into diabetic mice that was unable to produce its own insulin. It was found that, within a few days they began secreting insulin at levels that were able to control the blood sugar levels in the animals, functionally curing their diabetes. The cells kept producing insulin for months on end. As this study was conducted in mice, researchers cannot assure that it will work the same way in humans.

Do Fancy Electric Toothbrushes Outperform Old-School Ones? Research suggests a specific type of powered brush may be worth the expense, according to Markham Heid of Medium/Elemental, 18 April 2019. And why is this important? Diabetic patients are more likely to develop periodontal disease, which in turn can increase blood sugar and diabetic complications, as reported on Perio.org.

Oral health matters — maybe a lot more than most people realize.

A recent study in the journal Science Advances found that the same bacteria that cause the gum disease periodontitis also turn up in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease. The more of this gum disease bacteria a person has in their brain, the greater the amount of protein-related damage they tend to have. The same research team infected the mouths of mice with the periodontitis bacteria and found this led to an increase in Alzheimer’s-related brain proteins — a finding that suggests gum disease may contribute to the development of Alzheimer’s, at least in animal models. Research has found that people with gum disease are up to three times more likely to have a heart attack or stroke than those with healthy mouths. Experts have hypothesized that gum disease bacteria may slip into the bloodstream and promote the kind of inflammation and immune system activation that leads to arterial blockages.

“If you brush your teeth carefully and correctly, you could get almost the same results [with a manual],” says Stephen Bayne, a professor emeritus of dentistry at the University of Michigan. But most people aren’t diligent when it comes to brushing. “Generally, we say that powered toothbrushes are consistently better than manual ones,” Bayne says. If you’re confident in your brushing skills and committed to manual models, there’s evidence that the configuration of your toothbrush’s bristles also makes a difference. A 2012 review from the Netherlands found angled bristles significantly beat out both flat and “multilevel” bristle arrangements when it comes to removing plaque. Also, “nothing is a substitute for flossing as well,” Bayne says.

Unless your dentist has specifically told you to use a rinse to treat dry mouth or another oral health condition, there’s not a lot of high-quality evidence showing that mouthwash does much good for people with healthy teeth and gums, says Matthew Messina, an assistant professor at the Ohio State University College of Dentistry. “Mouthwash is not a requirement for good oral hygiene,” Messina says.

Joslin researchers show that caloric restriction lowers levels of innate immunity and inflammation, leading to increased longevity according to Joslin.org, 21 March 2019.

In a new study, published today in Cell Metabolism, researchers at Joslin Diabetes Center have uncovered a new mechanism of lifespan extension that links caloric restriction with immune system regulation. “Modulating immune activity is an important aspect of dietary restriction,” says Keith Blackwell, MD, PhD, Associate Research Director and Senior Investigator at Joslin, and Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School, senior author on the paper. “And it is important for longevity regulation and, in this context, increasing lifespan.”

In this study, Dr. Blackwell and his team found that caloric restriction reduces levels of innate immunity by decreasing the activity of a regulatory protein called p38, triggering a chain reaction effect ending in a reduced immune response.

Innate immunity is like the security guard of the body, keeping an eye out for any unwelcome bacteria or viruses. If the innate immune system spots something, it activates an acute immune response. We need some degree of both kinds of immunity to stay healthy, but an overactive innate immune system—which occurs more often as we age—means constant low-grade inflammation, which can lead to myriad health issues.