- December 31, 2003
Congressman Bill Janklow (see below, December 01) has been nominated as one of the
Whiners of the year
by Michelle Malkin, who writes: "The Republican congressman from South Dakota is still refusing to accept the consequences of his actions like a man. On Aug. 16, in his hometown of Flandreau, Janklow plowed his speeding Cadillac through a traffic sign and into Randy Scott's Harley-Davidson. Scott died instantly. A notorious scofflaw who brazenly joked about his longtime penchant for serial speeding, Janklow refused to admit guilt in the incident. Instead, his lawyers mounted a "Diabetes made him do it" defense. The congressman hadn't eaten for 20 hours before the accident and his blood sugar was low, they beseeched. A hometown jury rejected Janklow's weasel defense and swiftly convicted him on charges of second-degree manslaughter. A shocked Janklow is now appealing the unanimous verdict, claiming that prosecutors failed to present enough evidence to prove him guilty."
[Story at
townhall.com and elsewhere.]
- December 30, 2003
For over a decade, scientists have known that
insulin resistance is linked to the development of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity and other health problems in what is frequently called the
metabolic syndrome.
Researchers have recently found that lipoprotein lipase (LPL), a gene that controls the delivery of fatty acids to muscle and tissues in the body, is linked to insulin resistance. "Our study showed that two separate haplotypes of LPL were linked to low or high levels of insulin resistance, confirming that the LPL gene plays a role in determining insulin resistance in this population of Mexican Americans," said Dr. Rotter.
Lipoprotein Lipase Is a Gene for Insulin Resistance in Mexican Americans
(Diabetes, January, 2004; 53 (1) 214-220)
[Source: Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Press Release.
Abstract at
Diabetes;
Full text at Diabetes; requires subscription]
- December 29, 2003
Before you head off to a holiday party, have a snack. Research shows this takes the edge off hunger, helps slow the absorption of the alcohol you may imbibe and may even reduce the number of calories you take in.
"Having a little less physical hunger can delay the impulse to run to the food at parties," says Leslie Bonci, director of sports nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh…
[Full story at the
Evansville Courier & Press]
- December 28, 2003
As you enjoy these last days of splurging on sugar cookies and eggnog, perhaps you've given a passing thought to improving your eating habits in the new year. Fiber, it seems, is one of the most lacking ingredients in the typical American diet. As a result, popular low-fiber diets are contributing to health ailments including obesity, intestinal disorders, heart disease and diabetes. "The bottom line is, Americans aren't eating nearly enough fiber," says Jon A. Story, a Purdue University nutrition professor who worked on the first dietary guidelines for fiber intake…
[Full story at the
Baltimore Sun]
- December 27, 2003
One of medicine's most ancient healers has been brought out of retirement to treat wounds on diabetic patients.
The larvae eat away at the dead flesh on dirty, infected lesions, leaving a clean wound which begins to heal.
Since being reintroduced by Dr Matthew Young [at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary], the treatment has proved particularly useful for diabetic patients, many of whom develop foot ulcers…
[Full story at
NEWS.scotsman.com.
PubMed has several articles on maggot therapy for diabetic foot ulcers:
Maggot therapy for treating diabetic foot ulcers unresponsive to conventional therapy,
Use of larval therapy to treat a diabetic patient's pressure ulcer,
Larval therapy--an effective method of ulcer debridement,
Management of a diabetic foot ulcer using larval therapy]
- December 25, 2003
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An elderly, obese, bearded, smoking, rosy-cheeked, twinkling-eyed, jolly male elf,
dressed in soot-covered fur, was seen last night — in a tiny reindeer-driven sleigh, on the roof, and coming down the chimney, exclaiming
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night."
[Clement Clarke Moore's complete poem,
A Visit From Saint Nicholas, may be found at
The New York Institute for Special Education, and many other places!]
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- December 24, 2003
Specific genetic markers may influence whether a person develops the
metabolic syndrome — a collection of health risks that increase the chance of developing heart disease, stroke and diabetes — according to new research published this month in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism (JCEM). A second study, which will also be published in the December issue of JCEM, also points to a link between Cushing's syndrome, a disease caused by overexposure to the hormone cortisol, and
type 2 diabetes.
The findings from the two new studies may help doctors identify patients who are at risk for developing complications related to obesity, diabetes and metabolic syndrome.
[Source: Endocrine Society Press Release]
- December 23, 2003
Restaurant manager Grant DePorter spent $113,824.16
to purchase a baseball — not just any baseball, but the one that cost the Chicago Cubs
the pennant this past autumn, after being deflected out of the field of play by Cubs fan Steve Bartman from the mitt of the Cub's left fielder.
Bartman, the unlucky fan who deflected the ball, has ordered any gifts sent to him by fans of the Florida Marlins — who won the pennant — to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation on behalf of Cubs legend Ron Santo, who is afflicted with the disease.
With the infamous ball now locked away in a glass case at the restaurant, where an alarm and surveillance equipment guard it from plotting White Sox fans, Cubdom now must decide how to destroy it. DePorter is taking recommendations on desired methods of horsehide murder, and predictably, he will hear from thousands of fans before the Feb. 26 ritual.
DePorter announced today on WNBC-TV that the proceeds of destroying the infamous baseball may also go to the JDRF.
[Story at
Chicago Sun-Times]
- December 22, 2003
When Ketchikan, Alaska, dietitian Carey Guthrie visits a classroom to talk about nutrition, she can spot the students most likely to become diabetic.
"You can kind of tell because people who are at risk tend to have the bigger bellies, … and we see what's called acanthosis nigricans, the darkening of skin in the back of the neck," said Guthrie, diabetes coordinator for the Ketchikan Indian Community Tribal Health Clinic.
Dr. Julien Naylor, director of the Anchorage-based Alaska Native Medical Center Diabetes Program, knows of about 50 Native children with diabetes. For the first time, a significant number have
type 2 diabetes…
[Full story at
Anchorage Daily News]
- December 21, 2003
At 15, Reginald F. Cameron Jr. of Saginaw Michigan already is wise to the ways of weight loss and healthful eating.
Since he was diagnosed with
type 2 diabetes
last year, Cameron has lost 20 pounds. Still, he's overweight based on national growth charts.
His weight and family history made him a likely candidate for the disease —
once called "adult-onset" diabetes. It also served as a shock that motivated him to make changes…
At 183 pounds and 5 feet, 8 inches tall, Cameron is in the 95th percentile on the growth charts —
meaning he weighs more than 95 percent of boys his age. He wants to continue shedding pounds and drop into a lower category…
[Full story at
The Saginaw News]
- December 19, 2003
A study in children with poorly-controlled
type 1 diabetes
using a combination of evening dose of Lantus (insulin glargine) and morning dose of NPH (neutral protamine Hagedorn) insulin showed improved blood sugar control and decreased number of hypoglycemic events compared to before starting Lantus. Reduced hypoglycemic episodes and improved glycemic control in children with type 1 diabetes using insulin glargine and neutral protamine Hagedorn insulin.
(J Pediatr. Dec 2003;143 (6) 737-40)
[Abstract at
PubMed]
[Full text at
J Pediatr.; requires subscription]
- December 17, 2003
Pointing out that there are presently no standards for blood sugar control for hospital patients, AACE has released a statement proposing strict control of diabetes while hospitalized, to
"reduce complications, saves lives, shortens length of hospital stays and reduces costs. Hospitalized patients with uncontrolled high blood sugar have an increased risk of infection. Heart attack and stroke patients with high blood sugar have an increased risk of death."
Medical Specialists Demand Better Care for Hospitalized Patients with High Blood Sugar.
[Source: AACE Press Release]
- December 16, 2003
A pregnant woman's intake of vitamin D may protect her infant against developing the "autoimmune" form of diabetes. Dr. Jill M. Norris and colleagues from the University of Colorado Health Science Center, in Denver, looked to see if maternal intake of vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids, and omega-6 fatty acids during pregnancy affected the appearance of islet autoimmunity in offspring. Analysis showed that high maternal intake of vitamin D through food was linked to a decreased risk of islet autoantibodies occurring in offspring. "Interestingly, we did not find an association between vitamin D intake via supplements and islet autoantibodies, which is similar to observations in another epidemiological study," the authors write.
The reason for this "is not clear," but it could be due to differences in the way vitamin D is absorbed from food and supplements, or perhaps to the presence of an unidentified nutrient in vitamin D-containing foods.
The authors conclude that their "findings suggest that maternal intake of vitamin D through food during pregnancy may have a protective effect on the appearance of IA [islet autoimmunity] in offspring."
In Utero Dietary Exposures and Risk of Islet Autoimmunity in Children.
(Diabetes Care, December 1, 2003; 26 (12) 3237-3242)
[Story at
Reuters Health]
[Abstract at
PubMed]
[Full text at Diabetes Care; requires subscription]
- December 15, 2003
Having already conquered the North Pole and South Pole, Will Cross is now attempting the NovLogŪ Peaks and Poles Challenge. Now that he's trekked to the South Pole while dragging a 150-pound sled, high school principal, adventurer and diabetes sufferer Will Cross is setting out on yet another mind-boggling adventure, the NovoLogŪ Peaks and Poles Challenge. Last winter, the 36-year-old Cross completed the NovoLog Ultimate Walk to Cure Diabetes and became the first person with
type 1 diabetes
diabetes to reach the South Pole. This husband and father of five now faces the ultimate challenge: becoming one of a small number of extreme adventurers, the first American and the first person with diabetes, to climb the highest mountains on each of the earth's seven continents, and trek to the North and South Poles.
[Source: Novo Nordisk press release at
http://www.peaksandpoles.com/]
- December 14, 2003
An article in the
Albany NY Times Union
states that "The American Diabetes Association and the Alzheimer's Association have also endorsed this bill because of the help it gives to people who are faced with very high prescription drug costs. The [American] Diabetes Association points out that the new coverage of insulin and syringes is a critical addition for diabetic seniors to manage their disease."
The
ADA's press release is now available at this website, at
http://www.adiabeteswebsite.com/pr02.htm
[Story at
Albany Times Union]
- December 12, 2003
The December 9th issue of the journal Circulation
has a consensus statement of the ADA and AHA on
Thiazolidinedione Use, Fluid Retention, and Congestive Heart Failure.
The Statement concludes that "Edema is a recognized side effect of these drugs, particularly when combined with insulin. Both patients and healthcare providers should be cognizant of the risk of CHF when TZDs are used in patients with
type 2 diabetes. Prospective clinical trials are currently underway to ascertain the
cardiovascular safety of TZDs in patients with diabetes and underlying heart disease."
(Circulation, December 9, 2003; 108 (23) 2941 - 2948)
Thiozolidinediones (also called "TZDs" or "glitazones") include rosiglitazone (Avandia) and pioglitazone (Actos), two commonly-prescribed diabetes pills, and Avandamet, a combination of rosiglitazone plus another diabetes drug, metformin.
[Abstract at
PubMed]
[Full text at Circulation]
- December 11, 2003
Aventis Pasteur will provide 100,000 doses of adult vaccine due to arrive at the end of the week and 150,000 doses of pediatric vaccine scheduled for delivery some time in January, Department of Health and Human Services Sec. Tommy Thompson said.
The announcement comes as government agencies scramble to redistribute dwindling supplies of flu shots to hard hit areas. Vaccines have been in greater demand this year because of the disease's early onset in October and November.
The CDC added Arizona, Indiana, Iowa, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island and West Virginia to the list of states with active flu outbreaks.
that also includes Colorado, Alaska, Arkansas, Idaho, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.
[Story at
CBS MarketWatch]
- December 10, 2003
The U.S. Senate approved a bill Tuesday to combat the growing problem of obesity, especially among children and teen-agers. Noting that obesity increases the risk of diabetes, heart disease and some cancers, the bill authorizes a $60 million pilot project to help communities develop programs to address the problem, in part by promoting good nutrition and physical fitness.
The number of overweight children has doubled in the past 30 years and the number of overweight adolescents has tripled, according to the sponsors. The House of Representatives has not yet acted on this proposed law.
[S.1172 —
IMPACT Act (as introduced in the Senate)
]
- December 09, 2003
The United States Pharmacopeia released their latest Hospital Medication Error Report. In this report,
insulin was identified as
continuing to be
one of the top three high-alert medications involved in medication errors. The USP called for all high-alert medications to be packaged, stored, distributed, prescribed, dispensed and administered safely to minimize the risk of injury to patients.
[USP news release, December 08, 2003]
- December 08, 2003
Representative Bill Janklow was convicted of manslaughter and three other charges for a collision that killed a motorcyclist. The jury rejected the congressman's claim that he was disoriented by a diabetic reaction.
The defense argued that Janklow, who has diabetes, was suffering the effects of low blood sugar at the time of the crash because he had not eaten for 18 hours. Medical experts told prosecutors it is unusual for anyone to go that long without food — and highly dangerous for anyone with diabetes who takes insulin.
Deputy prosecutor Roger Ellyson called the diabetes defense "goofy," saying Janklow concocted the defense as an excuse for his reckless driving. (See below, December 01.)
[Search Google News for "diabetes Janklow" for the complete story.]
- December 07, 2003
The two biggest makers of flu shots in the U.S., Aventis SA and Chiron Corp., said Friday they have run out of vaccine and won't be able to meet a surge in demand resulting from fears of a particularly bad flu season.
"What we are telling people is there is still vaccine in the pipeline, although we are not sure how much," a spokesman said. "People who want to get a flu shot this year should not wait any longer. They will have to be persistent."
[AP, Friday, December 5, 2003
]
See Influenza Questions & Answers from the CDC for more information.
- December 06, 2003
Congressman Bill Janklow's defense is that taking insulin and not eating caused hypoglycemia, which resulted in an accident that caused the death of a motorcyclist.
(See below, December 01.)
- December 05, 2003
The World Health Organization (WHO) suggests taxes to combat obesity — "Governments should consider using taxes to discourage people from eating too much sugar, salt and saturated fat …
The WHO draft strategy is not just concerned with obesity. It says unhealthy diets and physical inactivity are the leading causes of ailments such as cardiovascular disease,
type 2 diabetes
and certain types of cancer …"
[Story at Financial Times]
- December 04, 2003
In a recently published study of the effects of aspirin and vitamin E in patients with
type 2 diabetes
and without diabetes, aspirin had little effect on the risk of death, stroke, or heart attack in the group with diabetes. No significant effect could be found with vitamin E in either diabetic or nondiabetic patients. The authors point out that the current study was limited in its ability to reach firm conclusions due to relatively small numbers of diabetic patients.
Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Events With Low-Dose Aspirin and Vitamin E in Type 2 Diabetic Patients: Results of the Primary Prevention Project (PPP) trial.
(Diabetes Care, December 1, 2003; 26 (12) 3264-3272)
[Abstract at
PubMed]
[Full text at Diabetes Care]
- December 03, 2003
An article in
JAMA,
Survival After Pancreas Transplantation in Patients With diabetes and Preserved Kidney Function,
concludes that
"From 1995-2000, survival for those with diabetes and preserved kidney function and receiving a solitary pancreas transplant was significantly worse compared with the survival of waiting-list patients receiving conventional therapy."
(JAMA, December 3, 2003; 290 (21) 2817-2823)
[Abstract at
PubMed]
[Full text at JAMA]
- December 02, 2003
- December 01, 2003
Congressman and former South Dakota Governor Bill Janklow went on trial for
speeding, running a stop sign, reckless driving and second-degree manslaughter.
Defense arguements made during opening statements said the congressman suffered a diabetic reaction about the time of an August accident because he hadn't eaten all day and that's why he went through a stop sign. A Minnesota man, Randy Scott, died in the collision of his motorcycle and the car Janklow was driving.
According to the American Diabetes Association, there are approximately 18.2 million people in the United States, or 6.3% of the population, who have diabetes. The vast majority of adult diabetics may drive with no complications - if they carefully follow guidelines before getting behind the wheel.
The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reports that low blood glucose — low blood sugar or hypoglycemia — may affect a person with diabetes ability to drive safely. However, it also notes that a diabetic who is aware of the symptoms can head off problems associated with low blood glucose. Those symptoms include feeling shaky or dizzy, or experiencing blurred vision or headaches.
[Story at ksfy.com]
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