New Mouse Study Raises Real Hope Of Preventing Type 1Some 30,000 new cases of Type I diabetes develop each year in the U.S., largely among children. But a report in Science magazine suggests that mice and perhaps man may be on the road to a cure. A research team led by Dr. Ji-Won Yoon of the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada, have shown that the gene glutamic acid decarboxylase, or GAD, causes the immune system to kill insulin-producing cells. When the immune system targets the normal GAD gene, its killer T-cells attack the beta cells.This attack kills the beta cells and the body is no longer able to produce insulin. Antibodies to GAD have long been recognized as an early warning that insulin-dependent diabetes was developing in humans. Dr. Yoon and his colleagues were able to suppress GAD activity in the pancreatic cells of nonobese diabetic mice, a strain that almost always develops Type 1 diabetes. By suppressing GAD, they were able to prevent diabetes. This important research provides vaccine developers with a good target for preventing Type 1. If a vaccine can be developed which suppresses the unwanted immune reaction, many cases of insulin-dependent diabetes may be prevented. GAD antibodies are found in about 75% of children who develop Type 1 diabetes compared to about 1% of healthy children. The risk of having GAD antibodies in children whose father has Type 1 diabetes is about 10% compared to less than 3% in children whose mother has it, which may explain the five fold greater risk of Type 1 diabetes seen in children with a father having the disease. Unrelated to preventing diabetes, GAD works as an enzyme that creates GABA, an important neurotransmitter involved in the transmission of nerve signals. It is conceivable that some cases of a rapidly developing form of diabetic neuropathy, which is rare but very dramatic when it occurs, may be related to an accelerated immune system attack on GAD which is also present in nerve cells.
Novo-Nordisk Releases New Insulin Pen In Europe
Blood Pressure Control Could Save A Million Lives A YearThe blood pressure arm of the HOPE (Heart Outcomes Prevention Evaluation) study was ended early due to its success. The HOPE study is being carried out in 267 centers in 19 countries over a six year period and includes more than 9,500 patients with a history of coronary artery disease, peripheral vascular disease, strokes or diabetes. A blood pressure medicine, called ramapril (Altace), which is a an ACE inhibitor, was so successful that this arm of the study was cancelled because of clear reductions in cardiovascular deaths, heart attacks and strokes in patients taking the drug. Dr. Salim Yusuf, chairman of the study and professor of medicine at McMaster University in Ontario explained, "to continue providing patients with a placebo when ramipril (Altace) demonstrates such tremendous positive results would have been irresponsible." There was also a reduction in heart failure and in the need for revascularization procedures like coronary artery bypass graft surgery and balloon angioplasty. "These results indicate that if ramipril (Altace) is used widely in appropriate patients, over one million premature deaths, heart attacks and strokes would be prevented each year, providing real hope to those at risk of heart disease." said Dr. Yusef.
Diabetic Group So New, It Lacks StatsOn the edge of a new epidemic, neither the CDC nor the American Diabetes Association have any statistics for it: the fast-growing rise in adolescents with Type 2 diabetes. Scattered informal surveys done mostly at university medical centers suggest that 10 percent to 30 percent of newly diagnosed pediatric diabetics are actually Type 2. This is a marked rise from around 4 percent in the early 1990's. Childhood obesity is the main cause, with a doubling of obesity in kids since 1980. Certain groups are at higher risk: African-Americans, Hispanics, Asians, Pacific Islanders and Native Americans, as well as those with a family history of diabetes, or with a mother who had gestational diabetes during the pregnancy.
Diabetes: It Only Costs A Tenth Of A TrillionA new report, available for only $3,450 from Medical Data International (MDI), estimates 1997 direct and indirect diabetes costs are now a staggering $98 billion dollars. MDI feels this provides numerous opportunities for manufacturers to improve care, reduce costs, and ultimately find a cure. Their 170 page report also profiles 16 major drug companies involved in diabetes. Their top of the market list includes Abbott Laboratories; Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Bayer Corporation.; Becton Dickinson and Company; Bristol-Myers Squibb Company; Cygnus, Inc.; Eli Lilly and Company; LifeScan, Inc.; Medi-Ject Corporation.; MiniMed, Inc.; Mylan Laboratories, Inc.; Novo Nordisk A/S; Pfizer, Inc.; Pharmacia & Upjohn; Roche Diagnostics; and Warner-Lambert Company.
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