   
Modified Insulin Works As A PillUntil recently experiments in swallowing insulin in pill form Nobex Corporation, based in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, has taken a novel and significantly different approach to the challenge of protein and peptide oral drug delivery. Proprietary Nobex technology alters the structure of the drug to achieve enhanced drug stability, greater absorption across the gut and increased circulation time in the blood. Nobex has created a polymer conjugate of insulin that protects the drug from enzymatic breakdown when it is swallowed. This peroral insulin, taken by mouth, enters into the upper part of the GI tract where it is absorbed and goes into the portal vein. This imitates the normal delivery of insulin into the portal vein so that much is taken out by the liver, reducing the levels of circulating insulin. Nobex is in Phase 2 clinical trials. These trials have shown that this formulation of insulin delivered orally has a rapid onset of action in as little as five minutes and peaks in 30 minutes. The benefits anticipated from oral insulin are Improved therapeutic effiectiveness and safety, increased user compliance and better treatment outcome due to convenient oral dose, elimination of user discomfort and awkwardness associated with self-injection, and potential savings to the total cost of care resulting from increased, drug effectiveness and improved compliance.
Diabetes Rates On The RiseIf the rate of diabetes continues to increase as it is doing now, researchers believe that up to 29 million people in the US will have the disease by the year 2050. Recently, researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released statistics that outline their projections for diabetes increases. Their statistics reflect changes in population growth, poor health habits, and demographic trends. The CDC reports in the journal Diabetes Care (volume 24, pages 1936-1940, November 2001) that adults over the age of 75 will be the largest group of people with diabetes. In addition, African American men will have rates of diabetes that increase by 363%, and African American women will have a 217% increase in the disease. White men and women will have their rates of diabetes double. Researchers emphasize that these projections are not inevitable. There have been many studies that have revealed information about diabetes prevention and care, so that people who are willing to adopt healthy lifestyle changes can dramatically reduce their risk of developing the disease.
Age And Gender Link in Heart Attack MortalityThere are many factors that contribute to a person's risk of death as a result of heart attack. Recent research indicates that gender plays as big a role as age in the prognosis for a victim of heart attack. The research was conducted by doctors at Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts. They included over 2,000 participants in the four-year study, all of whom had recently had a heart attack. Results indicated that women younger than 50 were about twice as likely to die as men in the same age group. Death rates were nearly the same in men and women between the ages of 60 and 69. Men who were age 70 or older were more likely to die than women in that age group. The researchers have published their results in The American Journal of Cardiology (volume 88; pages 768-771; October 1, 2001). They postulate that the reasons for the differences in death rates among men and women were due to the fact that the women tended to be older, have high blood pressure, abuse alcohol, and have diabetes. Men tended to be more educated, do regular exercise, and use aspirin. Among all participants younger than 50, more than twice as many women as men suffered from at least one non-heart related medical condition.
Artery Damage Apparent In Obese ChildrenObesity is a growing problem in the United States, and is even increasing among young children. This means that cardiovascular disease is increasing among children as well, resulting in dangerous health complications. The dangers of childhood obesity have been highlighted in a study led by doctors at the Armand-Trousseau Teaching Hospital in Paris. The study included 48 obese children, whose health was compared with that of 27 children of normal weight. The researchers used ultrasound to study the functioning of the children's carotid arteries, and also studied the blood vessels' response to obstruction. Results, which have been published in the journal The Lancet (October 2001), indicated that the obese children had much stiffer blood vessels, and poor functioning of the lining in the vessels. The children also had signs of insulin resistance, which is a precursor to diabetes. Currently, the National Institutes of Health is funding a study that will focus on school-based obesity prevention programs to see whether these programs effectively improve kids' health. This information will be especially helpful, as cardiovascular problems, osteoporosis, and high blood pressure can begin in childhood.
Diabetes And Gluten Allergy May Be LinkedFor people with Type 1 diabetes, there are many complications and health issues to be aware of and to prevent. A new study shows that people who have Type 1 are more likely to have celiac disease than people in the general population. Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease in which the body is unable to digest the gluten found in grains, and can lead to damage to the intestinal lining. Reduced absorption of nutrients, anemia, and growth problems often result. Researchers at the Medical College of Wisconsin recently conducted a study of 218 young people with diabetes. They found that 4.6% of the study participants also had celiac disease. These results have prompted doctors at the Medical College to screen all patients with diabetes for celiac disease as well. The study authors have published their findings in the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology (October 2001). They encourage people with diabetes to be tested for celiac disease, as control of blood sugar levels is complicated by the presence of this disease. In addition, it leads to an increased risk of lymphoma.
Curing Memory Problems With Breakfast?A recent study on older adults' memory capacity appears to add credence to the popular belief that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Researchers from the University of Toronto recently invited 22 men and women between the ages of 61 and 79 to participate in a study that measured their memory function after having a drink containing either pure carbohydrate, protein, fat or a non-calorie placebo on different mornings. The researchers found that the drinks with carbohydrates, proteins, or fats all improved the memory performance of the participants within fifteen minutes. Later tests showed that carbohydrates had greater benefits after one hour, but fats also improved the attention span of the participants. The results have been published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (volume 74; pages 567-568, 687-693; November 2001), and researchers hope that the information will encourage people to examine the benefits of eating breakfast.
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