Imaging technique detects residual beta cells in long-term type 1 diabetes was reported by Michael Monostra for Healio.com/endocrinology, 23 September 2020. The use of noninvasive imaging of GLP-1 receptors could detect residual, nonfunctioning beta cells in people with long-term type 1 diabetes, according to data presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes virtual meeting.
“We can prove that we are able to measure the amount of beta cells left in the pancreas of people with long-standing type 1 diabetes,” Marti Boss, MSc, a postdoctoral researcher, and Martin Gotthardt MD, PHD, professor, both in the department of medical imaging at Radboud University Medical Center in Nijmegen, Netherlands, told Healio. “Half of the people we have tested seem to have so many beta cells that the uptake of the radiotracer is in the lower range of the healthy control group. Thus, it may be that a considerable part of people with type 1 diabetes may have more beta cells left than thought so far.”
Although tracer uptake levels were generally lower among the diabetes group compared with the control group, six of the 10 participants with type 1 diabetes had tracer uptake register above background levels. Additionally, five of those six participants had tracer uptake similar to that of the control group. Researchers found measurable C-peptide for only two of the 10 participants with diabetes.
“There is no correlation between the radiotracer uptake and the C-peptide levels,” Boss said during the presentation. “It seems like we’re actually looking at a residual, dysfunctional beta-cell mass.”
Read more: Imaging technique detects residual beta cells in long-term type 1 diabetes
Where Are the Women in Diabetes Device Design? was written by Ginger Vieira for DiabetesMine.com, 23 September 2020.
Living with type 1 diabetes (T1D) in the year 2020 comes with a variety of remarkable technology options to help you manage your blood sugars on a daily basis: pumps, pods, continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) systems, and closed-loop systems that automate some of the work. But for women, in particular, all this gear on the body can be quite burdensome, and challenge their comfort level with their own bodies.
When surveyed on Twitter, a large majority of women with T1D expressed their frustration about the lack of comfort and the negative aesthetics associated with wearing diabetes gear.
The question is: Are the shortcomings of today’s diabetes technology a result of functional design requirements, or is it related to the fact that there are far fewer women in the medical technology design field than men?
“Just 18 percent of executive roles at the top 100 publicly traded medical device companies are held by women, and only three companies have a female CEO, according to an analysis of Medical Design & Outsourcing’s annual Big 100,” reported Medical Design & Outsourcing in 2019.
It continued: “Of the 969 leadership positions at the world’s biggest MedTech companies, only 172 are held by women. Nearly a quarter of the companies have no women in leadership roles and another 24 companies have a single female executive.”
The report also found that $2.7 million was given to 195 physicians in 2018 for medical research, and only 16 of those recipients were women, receiving a total of $322,000.
Read more with links to diabetes focused clothing/accessories: Where Are the Women in Diabetes Device Design?
Where Have All the Endos Gone? Vital Diabetes Doctors Are a Shrinking Breed was reported by Moira McCarthy for DiabetesMine.com, 22 September 2020. UH OH!!!
An increasing lack of endocrinologists is paired up with what the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says is a rapidly growing patient population. This leaves many wondering: Where have all the endos gone?
“With the increased demand due to the aging U.S. population, increased obesity in the U.S., more endocrinologists are needed,” he says.
Reddy says the pandemic may be exacerbating the situation, with practice activity down and doctors taking early retirement. PLUS … A recent Medscape report confirms that endocrinologists are among the lowest paid of medical providers. And diabetes patients can be needy at off times, requiring extra phone calls, email, and more that may not be billable.
The Endocrine Society has set out to create programs to help not just guide medical students toward choosing endocrinology, but staying confident and strong in that decision as they evolve as doctors. One such program is Future Leaders in Endocrinology (FLARE), which focuses on basic science, clinical research trainees, and junior faculty from underrepresented minority communities who have demonstrated achievement in endocrine research. FLARE provides structured leadership development and in-depth, hands-on training in topics ranging from applying for grants money to lab management. This program is sponsored by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
Read more: Where Have All the Endos Gone? Vital Diabetes Doctors Are a Shrinking Breed
The Scoop on New Ultra-Rapid-Acting Lyumjev Insulin was written by Mike Hoskins for DiabetesMine.com, 21 September 2020.
Named Lyumjev (pronounced LOOM-JEV), from Eli Lilly, this new insulin snagged FDA clearance in June 2020, right about the time of the American Diabetes Association’s annual Scientific Sessions conference, and is beginning to get into the hands of patients now.
The pronunciation of the name Lyumjev is certainly not intuitive. Where do insulin manufacturers even come up with these strange brand names? Turns out it’s quite a complicated process. We asked Lilly about the specific origins here, but they declined to provide any details.
Scientifically, this new insulin is referred to as insulin lispro-aabc, which is essentially a meshing of traditional insulin lispro (i.e., Humalog) with two additives to help it work more quickly: Treprostinil, which helps to open up blood vessels for faster absorption, and sodium citrate to also enhance the insulin’s action time.
Per the clinical trial data submitted to regulators, Lyumjev begins working in the body within 13 minutes, compared to Humalog and other meal-time insulins that can take as long as 27 minutes to start impacting glucose levels.
But many have also reported that Lyumjev’s fast action may be short-lived, as it appears to fade after initial use. And users also report site irritation and burning with boluses … and the benefit of being super-fast may diminish with use.
Read more: The Scoop on New Ultra-Rapid-Acting Lyumjev Insulin
Hmm lots going on here.
1. I would think it would be almost impossible for the body to stop producing beta cells. I have always believed the autoimmune reaction is on retention of beta cells not the production. So if they are still being made, I would think one would find small quantities.
2. Women in diabetes design? Why should diabetes be different than any other area of technical skills.
3. We need better medicare reimbursement for endo’s and others. Without more reimbursement it is not clear who want to go into the profession.
4. I hear the Lilly fast acting insulin is the best.
2. Possibly women are more aware of what women’s needs to carrying devices?
3. Sadly, the entire reimbursement system for the amount of time required to manage diabetes is broken! Our needs are so different from procedural specialties. Actually, I think we need a very different model of support which include the use of expert systems and data analysts.
4. I’ve been on Lyumjev for the past 3 weeks. I started adding Fiasp to try to reduce the pain and skin irritation. Every bolus burns … the larger the bolus, the bigger the burn. I just decided to switch back to Novolog on my next site change. I’m creating skin issues with Lyumjev, even though I love how fast it works! Might keep it for a rescue injection if I’m not using Afrezza.