   
Possible Type 1 PreventionMany recent studies involving diabetes have focused on possible cures for the disease. However, a promising new study focuses on a novel way of preventing the disease from developing. Type 1 diabetes is caused when the immune system mistakenly attacks the beta cells in the pancreas that produce insulin. Researchers have hypothesized that there are ways to keep the immune system from making this mistake, such as by giving vitamin D mentioned in last week's news. The new study involves certain cells called iNKT cells that prevent the immune system from attacking healthy cells. Researchers from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts, studied mice that had been bred to develop Type 1 diabetes to determine how they could increase the number of iNKT cells. When the researchers injected a fat molecule known as a-galactosylceramide (a-GalCer) into the mice, it prevented diabetes from developing. This fat molecule, when present in another immune cell, caused an increase in the number of iNKT immune system cells and this blocked the immune system from attacking healthy tissue, thus preventing diabetes. Alternately, the scientists were able to deactivate a gene that controls proteins on immune system cells. When the gene was deactivated, cells were unable to produce a-galactosylceramide. Here the iNKT cells were not activated, and the mice did develop diabetes. The researchers hope that the study results, which are published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (volume 98; page13838; November 20, 2001) will lead to preventative methods so that people will no longer develop Type 1 diabetes. The researchers are pleased with the insight, but are unsure whether this study involving inbred mice will carry over into humans.
Mutant Gene May Protect NervesWhen nerves become cut or severed, as can happen with physical injury or as the result of a variety of diseases, they usually degenerate within a matter of hours. A new study involving mice with a mutant protein shows that there may be genetic reasons for the rapidity of this degeneration. The study was conducted by researchers at the Institute for Genetics in Cologne, Germany. The scientists studied mice who had a mutant protein that slowed down nerve damage by several weeks. Normally, axons, which are the connections between neurons, degenerate within 48 hours of being damaged. The damage can be caused by physical injury, drugs used to treat cancer and AIDS, and diseases such as diabetes and multiple sclerosis. The researchers found that some mice had a mutant form of a protein that delayed axon degeneration so that the process took several weeks. The researchers were able to identify the gene that is responsible for activating this protein. While the researchers don't think that this same mutation is present in humans as well, they do believe that related mechanisms control nerve damage in both species. Results of the study have been published in the online version of the journal Nature Neuroscience (volume 10; 1038/nn770). Researchers hope that further studies will be conducted, and hopefully lead to the prevention of degeneration altogether.
Blood Sugar Control Important In ICUBlood sugar control is extemely important in maintaining the health of people with diabetes. Because people who are admitted to the intensive care unit of hospitals tend to experience temporary symptoms of diabetes, researchers conducted a study to see if controlling blood sugar levels in these people would improve their survival rates. The research was conducted by doctors from Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium, who studied the blood sugar levels in people in the ICU who were on a respirator. 765 people received aggressive treatment, and were given insulin as soon as their blood sugar levels exceeded the 80-110 milligrams per deciliter range. Other people did not receive insulin until their levels were over 215, and their blood sugar levels were subsequently kept between 180 and 200. Results of the study, which has been published in the New England Journal of Medicine (Vol 345, pages 1359-1367, November 8, 2001), showed that those who received aggressive treatment had a death rate that was 32% lower than that of the people who were not given this treatment. In addition, those who were given aggressive treatment had a 46% lower risk of bloodstream infections, a 41% decrease in kidney failure, and a 50% lower instance of transfusions. The study was ended early, because it was determined that it was unethical to allow people to stay in the ICU without having aggressive insulin treatment. However, more research is needed before this aggressive treatment becomes the norm.
Looking On The Bright Side For HealthHaving an optimistic attitude may not only make life more enjoyable, but it may also lead to good health. This is the conclusion drawn from a recent study on the way personality plays into heart disease risk. The study involved 586 adults between the ages of 30 and 59, and was conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Promotion. None of the participants had heart disease, although they had siblings who had been diagnosed with heart disease at a young age. Participants in the study were given personality tests, and also had blood pressure, blood sugar, body fat, and cholesterol levels measured. Participants were also questioned as to whether they smoked, had diabetes, or had any other risk factors for heart disease. The participants of the study were tracked for between five and twelve years, and the results were presented at the American Heart Association's 2001 Scientific Sessions. Seventy of the participants had heart attacks, chest pain, or death as a result of heart disease. Those with optimistic personalities were half as likely to experience a heart event as those with pessimistic personalities. Personality even appeared to have more influence over a person's cardiac health than other risk factors, including high cholesterol levels, smoking, and obesity. The scientists hope to further their research by studying the effects of adding pleasurable activities to the participants' lives, and seeing whether or not this decreases the risk of heart disease. 
Children's Health Improved With GrainsAdults have long been encouraged to eat whole grains to decrease their risk of heart disease. Recent research indicates that this may also be true for children. In 1996, researchers at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis began a study of 285 children who were around thirteen years of age. Doctors measured the children's height, weight, skin-fold thickness, and how the children metabolized sugar. They also asked the children about what they ate and how much they exercised. Follow-up exams were conducted one year later, and again three years later. The results, which were presented at the American Heart Association's 2001 Scientific Sessions, showed that the children who ate the most whole grains tended to be leaner, exercise more, and eat more fruits and vegetables than their peers. In addition, these children had greater insulin sensitivity and a lower risk for diabetes and heart disease. These children averaged 1.5 or more servings of whole grains per day. The rsearchers hope that the results of the study will encourage parents to give their children more whole grains, including oatmeal, brown rice, dark bread, bran, wheat germ, kasha, and bulgur wheat.
Suicide Risk Of StrokeThe results of stroke are widely-known, and often lead to disabilty and even death. A study conducted in Denmark reveals that there are emotional side-effects, too, and that suicide rates are higher in those who have had a stroke. Researchers from the University of Copenhagen and A. W. Engberg of Hvidovre University Hospital collaborated to examine the death records of over 114,000 men and women who had been discharged from Danish hospitals after having s stroke between the years of 1979 and 1993. They found that 359 of these people had committed suicide. The results of the study, which have been published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health (volume 55, pages 863-866, November 2001), indicate that stroke victims had a sucided rate that was nearly double that of the national rate, which was 45 suicides per 100,000 deaths. There were several factors that increased the likelihood of a person to commit suicide. Men were more likely to commit suicide than women, and people younger than fifty were three times as likely to commit suicide than older people. In addition, those who stayed in the hospital for less than a month after their stroke were twice as likely to commit suicide as those who stayed in the hospital for at least three months. The researchers hope that their study will highlight the importance of being sensitive to a person's emotional as well as physical well-being after they have had a stroke.
|
SEARCH:
