Narrow Eye Blood Vessels & Heart Disease
There are several conditions with a known link to heart disease, including diabetes and high blood pressure. Recent research shows that another condition that may predict heart disease in women is that of narrowed blood vessels in the eye.
The new issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (volume 287; pages 1153-9; March 6, 2002) includes a study led by researchers at the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. The study included 9,648 men and women between the ages of 51 and 72 who had three eye exams over six years. Eighty-four women and 187 men had heart attacks and other heart problems over the course of the study.
Researchers used specialized digital photographs and measurements to search for narrowing of the arteries and vessels in the retina. They found that women with the narrowest vessels had double the risk of heart problems than women with the widest retinal arteries. This held true for women with and without diabetes and high blood pressure. This increased risk was not found in the male participants.
Although these findings are preliminary and should not be used to justify a stringent eye exam in a routine cardiac exam, researchers believe that women whose standard eye exams reveal obvious narrowing should be examined for heart disease.
  
Discount Plans For Prescription Drugs
In response to the federal government's delays in reforming the Medicare program for seniors and the disabled, several drug companies have created their own discount plans.
Eli Lilly & Co. has recently introduced a ``LillyAnswers'' discount card, similar to the cards offered by Novartis, GlaxoSmithKline, and Pfizer Inc. In order to be eligible for the card, seniors would have to have annual income below $18,000 per individual or $24,000 per household. Once a person qualifies, he or she will be able to purchase a month's supply of any of the drugs manufactured by Lilly for $12. The card will be accepted at participating pharmacies beginning on April 1.
Another drug-discount plan has been announced by AdvancePCS, which is a pharmacy benefits management (PBM) company based in Irving, Texas. The AdvancePCS RxSavings program is available to any consumer, and there are no age or income requirements. The card is free and offers discounts on all prescription medications. Thus far, only eleven manufacturers have agreed to participate in the program, offering discounts on 21 medications, including Novo Nordisk Pharmaceutical's Novolin for diabetes and Monarch Pharmaceuticals' hypertension drug Altace (ramipril). AdvancePCS hopes to add other pharmaceutical companies soon.
GLP-1: Treatment For Type 2 Studied
For people with Type 2 diabetes who must take multiple drugs and insulin shots to control their disease, a recent study offers hope for an easier and more effective treatment.
The treatment was tested in a small study conducted by researchers at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. The 20 participants in the study all had Type 2 diabetes, and were given either infusions of an intestinal hormone called glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) or a placebo. The hormone was delivered by small pump, similar to the kind used for insulin therapy.
Results of the study, which are found in the journal The Lancet (volume 359; pages 824-830; March 9, 2002), indicate that the ten people who were given the hormone had a dramatic decrease in their blood glucose levels, and an increased sensitivity to insulin and beta-cell functioning. In addition, GLP-1 served to slow the emptying of food from the stomach and control appetite, causing the participants to lose an average of four pounds over six weeks. The infusion of GLP-1 is superior to insulin infusions because there is no danger of a low blood sugar caused by a reaction to too much insulin
The hormone used in this study was supplied by Restoragen Inc., a biotechnology company based in Lincoln, Nebraska. The company states that it will soon begin a trial of the treatment in the US, which will include 100 participants at 25 to 40 sites.
Possible Defense Against Type 1 Diabetes
One way to develop a cure for diabetes is to focus on the way the body naturally defends itself against the disease. In a new study, scientists focus on the immune system's reaction to enteroviruses that can cause diabetes.
Enteroviruses are common viruses that can cause cold symptoms, and can lead to serious complications in extreme circumstances. The enterovirus called coxsackievirus B4 (CVB4) can cause Type 1 diabetes by destroying insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. A study conducted by researchers at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California studied the body's response to this virus.
In the study, researchers infected mice with CVB4, and blocked the normal release of interferons. These are chemicals that protect pancreatic beta cells from viral infections. Without the interferons, the beta cells were destroyed by the immune-system cells called natural killer cells. This led to a type of diabetes in the mice that is similar to the one caused by enteroviruses in people.
This study has been published in the online version of the journal Nature Immunology (10.1038/ni771, March 2002). The researchers hope that this study will lead to the developement of an antiviral therapy that prevents Type 1.
Height May Be Measure For Diabetes Risk
Researchers are not yet sure what causes Type 1 diabetes, and are exploring all possibilities. In a new study, doctors examined 446 children to see if there was a correlation between height and diabetes development.
This study was conducted by researchers at the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Peoria. They examined health records of 446 children who had been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes between the years of 1988 and 1998. They then compared their findings with health data from 10,500 children who participated in a national health and nutrition survey.
The children with diabetes who were over the age of one were taller than their peers, except for children between the ages of eight and ten. Researchers postulate that growth spurts of puberty may have cancelled out any link between diabetes and height in children between those ages.
The reason for the association between height and diabetes development is unknown. The study authors believe it may have to do with the fact that greater body size has been connected to less regulation of cell growth and greater activity in immune cells. This might lead to an autoimmune reaction like diabetes.
This study is published in the journal Pediatrics (volume 109, pages 479-483, March 2002).
Exercise Important During Pregnancy
As an essential component of maintaining good health, the federal guidelines state that people should engage in thirty minutes of moderate activity daily. A recent article encourages pregnant women to do this as well.
According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), there is evidence that exercise can prevent gestational diabetes, which can begin during pregnancy and disappear after delivery. Most women can safely begin or continue an exercise regimen during pregnancy, but they should consult with their doctor in order to avoid doing dangerous activities.
The ACOG published their statement on exercise in their journal, Obstetrics and Gynecology (volume 99; pages 171-3: January 2002).
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