Controversy Over Human Cloning
One of the most recent and controversial scientific subjects to be debated by Congress is that of human cloning. The biotechnology company Advanced Cell Technology Inc. (ACT) has just announced its ability to clone human beings in order to create stem cells, but this information is not being met calmly.
The company has announded that they used the DNA from an egg cell and replaced it with the DNA from the nucleus of an adult skin cell. The egg then began dividing, the same way it would had it been fertilized by a sperm. This division was stopped by the scientists before it became a baby. ACT has stated that it intended to create a source of stem cells in order to conduct research on curing diseases like diabetes, stroke, cancer, AIDS, and neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease.
President Bush has already stated that he opposes human cloning, and Congress has moved to prevent all human cloning. A new law is being considered before the Senate. The House has backed a ban on this research, but the Senate has not adopted such legislation. Currently, federal law prevents the use of public money for experiments involving human embryos, but ACT is privately funded.
  
Screening To Stop Undiagnosed Diabetes
People with diabetes must take many precautions in order to maintain good health and avoid the potential complications of their disease. However, new statistics reveal that many people are not even aware that they have the disease, and are therefore not doing all that they can to take care of themselves.
Recently, doctors from the University of Tennessee in Memphis studied 3,000 people between the ages of 70 and 79 to determine their health status. The researchers found that 8% of these people had undiagnosed diabetes, while 16% had diagnosed diabetes. Those who were undiagnosed were most likely to be overweight, male, and have high blood pressure.
The scientists have published the results of their study in the journal Diabetes Care (volume 24; pages 2065-2070; December 2001), and advocate wider use of diabetes screening, particularly among the elderly. Only people who are aware of their disease can take steps to prevent complications such as kidney damage, blindness, and amputation.
Generic Diabetes Drug May Be Marketed
For several months now, generic pharmaceutical companies have petitioned the FDA to allow them to market their versions of the diabetes drug Glucophage. So far, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. has maintained exclusivity, but this may soon come to an end.
The generic drugmaker Ivax Corp. has now received conditional approval from the FDA to market a generic version of Glucophage. Final approval will not be granted until the issue of pediatric labeling has been resolved. This issue arose when Bristol-Myers was given FDA approval to treat children with Glucophage as well. Usually, a generic cannot be marketed unless its label is identical to the original drug's label, and Ivax has not been granted approval for pediatric treatment. In addition, Glucophage may qualify for an additional three years of exclusivity because of this new indication for treating children.
Dangers Of Smoking And Diabetes
The health risks associated with smoking are fairly well-known, but a new study shows that women with diabetes who smoke are at even higher risk of death.
The study included over 7,000 women with Type 2 diabetes, and was conducted by researchers at Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts. Over the course of twenty years, 727 women died. The cause of death from heart disease and cancer was much higher among those women who smoked. In fact, those who smoked at least 35 cigarettes per day were twice as likely to die as those who did not smoke.
The researchers have published their findings in the journal Diabetes Care (volume 24; pages 2043-2048; December 2001), and suggest that smoking increases the risk of death in a variety of ways. Smoking over a long period of time has been shown to decrease the levels of HDL ("good") cholesterol, and increase levels of fat. In addition, it may lead to nerve damage that is connected with diabetes, increase insulin resistance, and increase the risk of developing blood clots.
Researchers hope that their study will discourage women with diabetes from smoking, and to quit if they are already smoking.
Pregnancy Complications With Obesity
Obesity is on the rise throughout the United States, and this is true for pregant women as well. A recent study indicates that obesity can cause several complications during pregnancy and the birthing process.
The study was led by researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and has been published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology (volume 185, pages 845-849, October 2001). The researchers tracked over 53,000 women who sought prenatal care services at Alabama clinics between the years of 1980 and 1999. They found that the rate of obesity steadily increased, as did the rate of gestational diabetes and especially large babies. In the study, obese women were also more likely to have a Cesarean section.
Gestational diabetes occurs when a pregnant women cannot control blood sugar levels properly. It can lead to diabetes after childbirth, and can also cause the baby to become larger than normal. This increases the risk of birth trauma in both the mothers and the babies.
Over the nineteen years of the study, the average weight of the women at the time of their first prenatal visit increased from 144 pounds to 172 pounds. The number of women who were considered to be obese increased from 7% to 24%. Also, the rate of gestational diabetes increased by 25%, as did the rate of larger-than-normal babies. Obese women remained 50-80% more likely to need a C-section.
The researchers hope that issues of pregnancy and obesity will be addressed, so that the health of mothers and their babies will improve.
Effects Of Infertility Treatment On Births
For many women who would otherwise be unable to get pregnant, infertility treatment may be the only way to have children. However, with this welcome assistance comes an increased risk of complications of the birth.
According to a new study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology (volume 185, pages 888-892, October 2001), women over the age of 40 who conceived after undergoing infertility treatment were almost four times as likely to have a Cesarean section than women who conceived without the treatment.
The research was conducted by scientists from Ben Gurion University in Beer Sheva, Israel, who studed 115 pregnant women over the age of 40. Women in this age group are more likely to have complications like gestational diabetes and high blood pressure while pregnant, and are at a higher risk of delivering by C-section and having children with chromosomal abnormalites. In this group, 35 women had conceived with the help of infertility treatment. Over 71% of these needed a C-section, compared with 41% who had conceived spontaneously.
In addition, women who conceived with the help of reproductive technology were five times more likely to have a low birth weight baby. Over 34% of these women had babies that weighed less than 5.5 pounds, compared with 10% of women who did not receive this treatment.
Menstrual Cycle May Influence Diabetes Risk
For young women who have long or irregular menstrual cycles, there may be an increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by the time they reach middle age.
Recently, researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts published the results of their 18-year-long study. There were over 101,000 participants in the study, all of whom were women between the ages of 18 and 22. The women completed a health survey every two years, and addressed issues of weight, exercise habits, smoking status, and other lifestyle behaviors. During the course of the study, 507 women developed Type 2 diabetes.
The women who had menstrual cycles that were at least 40 days long were twice as likely to develop diabetes as those who had cycles that lasted between 26 and 31 days. This risk was increased when the women were obese. In addition, women who had irregular menstrual cycles were twice as likely to develop diabetes as those who had predictable cycles.
The researchers also found that women with long and irregular menstrual cycles were more likely to be overweight when the study began, and to continue to gain weight over the years. Women with short cycles that lasted less than 21 days were more likey to report severe acne in their adolescence, abnormal hair growth, ovulatory infertility, and gestational diabetes.
The study has been published in The Journal of the American Medical Association (volume 286; page 2421; November 21, 2001). The researchers are not sure why long and irregular menstrual cycles may increase the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, but previous studies have shown that irregular cycles are tied to insulin resistance. In addition, women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are resistant to insulin, so women with irregular cycles may have undiagnosed PCOS.
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