Protein test ups diabetes diagnoses in some races

2010-09-03T09:30:09Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Efforts to adopt a more accurate test for diagnosing diabetes may have hit a snag. Comparing the age-old oral glucose tolerance test to the newer hemoglobin A1c test confirms earlier evidence that race may influence test results, Danish researchers report. "The prevalence of diabetes differed considerably according to diagnostic method," they write in the

Diabetes drug fights lung cancer in mice: study

2010-09-01T22:31:12Z

A popular drug that is used by millions of diabetics around the world significantly decreases tobacco-induced lung tumors in mice, a study published Wednesday found. Researchers led by Philip Dennis, a senior investigator at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), gave the diabetes drug metformin to mice which had been exposed to a carcinogen derived from nicotine. Mice treated orally...

Proposed diabetes test misses most cases: study

2010-08-31T12:30:18Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A new proposed diabetes test could miss millions of cases of diabetes and pre-diabetes and also over-diagnose black Americans if it was used as a screening tool, suggests a new study. Over 23 million Americans have diabetes - about 8 percent of the population - and another 57 million are at risk for developing diabetes, according to the American Academy of Neurology, involved 135 people with an average age of 67 from Hisayama, Japan. The group was tested for blood sugar levels and followed ...

Insulin resistance may cause Alzheimer plaques

2010-08-25T15:46:26Z

HONG KONG (Reuters) - People with insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes are more likely to develop plaques in the brain associated with Alzheimer's disease, researchers in Japan reported on Thursday. The study involved 135 elderly participants in the town of Hisayama, Fukuoka prefecture, who had their blood sugar ...

Diabetes research pioneer William Kirtley dies, 96

2010-08-25T15:30:54Z

Diabetes research pioneer William R. Kirtley dies at 96, helped pioneer groundbreaking drugs

Dr. William R. Kirtley, a medical researcher pioneer who helped develop drugs after World War II that greatly improved the lives of diabetics, has died at age 96. Jane Kirtley said her father died Sunday at a hospital near his Hilton Head Island...

Study links Chinese kidney problems to genes

2010-08-25T09:15:45Z

Variants of a gene contribute to the high risk of kidney disease among diabetics of Chinese descent compared with Caucasians, a study said Wednesday. Asians tend to have a higher likelihood of kidney failure, a major cause of death among diabetics. Diabetes rates have been soaring in China as rising prosperity changes lifestyles. Writing in the CHICAGO (Reuters) - GlaxoSmithKline's diabetes drug Avandia was no riskier to the heart than a rival, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday, a finding that contradicts earlier studies and adds new fodder to the roiling debate over the drug's safety. The study of more t...

Gene variants put diabetics at risk of kidney disease

2010-08-24T13:30:09Z

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Some diabetics are at risk of developing chronic kidney disease if they have mutations of a certain gene, a long-term study in Hong Kong has found. Kidney failure is an important cause of death for people with type 2 diabetes, and ethnic Chinese diabetics are more prone to developing chronic kidney disease than Caucasians. The finding would help identi...

A look at recent recalls of medical products

2010-08-23T13:30:18Z

A look at some recent recalls in the US of prescription medicines and medical devices

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS _The Medicines Company, March 17, Cleviprex (a calcium channel blocker to rapidly reduce high blood pressure). Stainless steel particles in some vials. _Reuters Life!) - Eating more green leafy vegetables can significantly cut the risk of developing diabetes, scientists said on Friday. British researchers reviewed six earlier studies on links between diabetes and the consumption of fruits and vegetables and found eating an extra serving a day of vegetables like spinach, cabbage, and broccoli reduced adults' risk of getting type 2 diabetes by 14 percent. The findi...

Green leafy veg reduces diabetes risk - study

2010-08-20T03:15:36Z

Tucking into more spinach and other green leafy vegetables can reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes, a study published on Friday by the British Medical Journal (BMJ) said. The research wades into a controversial area, and its authors caution more investigation is needed to confirm the findings. A team led by Patrice Carter at the Reuters Health) - Nearly 30 percent of U.S. diabetics over the age of 40 may have a diabetes-related eye disorder, with 4 percent of this population affected severely enough that their vision is threatened, suggests a new study. The condition, known as diabetic retinopathy, involves damage to the eye's retina and is the leading cause of new cases of legal ...

Astra pays $198 mln to settle Seroquel lawsuits

2010-08-09T05:15:11Z

AstraZeneca pays $198 million to settle US lawsuits over antipsychotic drug

AstraZeneca PLC says it has paid around $198 million to settle U.S. lawsuits over its antipsychotic drug Seroquel. AstraZeneca said Monday it has paid out to around 17,500 claimants regarding allegations the drug causes ...

Pregnancy-related diabetes likely to recur: study

2010-08-03T15:46:53Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Pregnant women with a history of pregnancy-related diabetes, also called gestational diabetes, have a good chance of developing the condition again, suggests a large new study. Researchers found that the risk of having gestational diabetes during a future pregnancy increases with each previously affected one -- from 41 percent after the first to 57 percent after two pregnancies complicated by ge...

Wireless sensor watches blood sugar for diabetics

2010-07-28T14:15:24Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Researchers have developed an implantable sensor that measures blood sugar continuously and transmits the information without wires -- a milestone, they said, in diabetes treatment. The device worked in one pig for more than a year and in another for nearly 10 months with no trouble, they reported in the journal Science Translational Medicine. It takes the diabetes field a step closer to development ...

Adults born in famine show higher pre-diabetes risk

2010-07-22T13:45:31Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Middle-aged adults born at the height of China's famine in the 1950s and 60s may have a greater risk of abnormally high blood sugar than those born just a few years earlier or later, a new study finds. The findings, reported in the journal Diabetes, support the theory that nutrition and growth during fetal development may affect the odds of developing ty...

Study raises hope for safer diabetes drugs

2010-07-21T15:30:50Z

CHICAGO (Reuters) - A new understanding of the link between diabetes and obesity may help drug companies design safer versions of treatments like GlaxoSmithKline's Avandia, U.S. researchers said on Wednesda...

FDA issues hold on much-debated Avandia study

2010-07-21T09:45:22Z

FDA bars new patients from enrolling in safety study of diabetes drug tied to heart risks

Federal health officials say new patients should not be enrolled in a study of GlaxoSmithKline's controversial diabetes pill Avandia, after experts last week said the drug increases heart risks. The Bristol-Myers expected to focus on drug research progress, approval prospects in 2Q report

Drugmaker Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. is expected to focus on a raft of recent positive research data and plans to seek approval for several drugs when it reports its second-quarter results before the stock market opens Thursday. WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Analysts anticipate detailed updates on sev...

FDA warns Abbott on blood sugar monitors

2010-07-20T16:00:45Z

CHICAGO (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has warned Abbott Laboratories' diabetes care unit about manufacturing problems at its Alameda, Product recalls: dietary supplements

The following recalls have been announced: _ Good Health Inc., of Canutillo, Texas, is recalling select lots of the dietary supplement Vialipro because they could contain a compound that is chemically similar to the erectile dysfunction drug sildenafil. This compound could i...

Experts urge US to restrict drug Avandia

2010-07-14T22:15:38Z

A majority of members of a key advisory committee recommended that the US government allow diabetes drug Avandia to stay on the market with greater restrictions on its sale. Most of the panel's members agreed that the drug increases the risk of heart problems, but only 12 of the 33-member expert panel voted to remove Gl...

Glaxo's diabetes drug Avandia faces moment of truth

2010-07-14T10:16:00Z

Diabetes drug Avandia faces a moment of truth Wednesday, when a committee will decide whether to recommend pulling it from the market because it has been associated with increased heart problems. The committee, convened at the request of the Food and Drug Administration, began its work on Tuesday as two US senators said Avandia manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline hid the dangers of its top-selling diabetes drug Avandia and secretly wrote scientific articles about it, two US lawmakers charged Tuesday. The allegations came as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) opened a two-day meeting of experts who ...

Indian doctors hail diabetes breakthrough

2010-07-13T11:16:33Z

Indian scientists said Tuesday they had made a breakthrough that could lead to diabetics needing to inject themselves only once a month or less, rather than every day. Researchers at the National Institute of Immunology in New Delhi said they had successfully concluded a two-year trial on mice, rats and rabbits of a drug which slowly releases i...

Glaxo withheld info on diabetes drug's risks: US lawmakers

2010-07-13T11:16:38Z

UK pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline kept the dangers of its top-selling diabetes drug Avandia out of the public eye and ghostwrote scientific articles about it, US lawmakers charged Tuesday. The allegations came as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) opened a two-day meeting of ex...

Glaxo 'withheld info on diabetes drug's heart risks'

2010-07-13T08:16:32Z

British pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline withheld from US drug safety regulators information about the possible dangers of top-selling diabetes drug Avandia, a report in the US press said Tuesday. The allegation was made in the Wall Street ...

Glaxo withheld info on diabetes drug's heart risks: report

2010-07-13T08:15:52Z

U.S. meeting nears on risks of Glaxo diabetes drug

2010-07-13T01:30:15Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A heated three-year safety debate about a GlaxoSmithKline Plc diabetes pill reaches a climax this week as opponents and backers face off at a U.S. meeting that will help decide the drug's fate. A panel of scientific experts meets later Tuesday and again Wednesday to consider...

From texting to apps, using cell phones for health

2010-07-12T12:32:09Z

What if my blood sugar's too high today? Is it time for my blood pressure pill? With nagging text messages or more customized two-way interactions, researchers are trying to harness the power of cell phones to help fight chronic diseases. "I call it medical minutes," says Dr. Richard Katz of George Washington University Hosp...

Record-breaking pilot takes to the skies for diabetes

2010-07-11T04:00:06Z

PARIS (Reuters Life!) - A former Royal Air Force pilot with diabetes is preparing to break another record by touching down in all 50 U.S. states and show that the disease is no obstacle for enthusiasts who dream of flying. London-based Douglas Cairns starts hi...

Diabetes drug Avandia gets new setback ahead of US decision

2010-07-09T14:15:51Z

GlaxoSmithKline's blockbuster diabetes treatment Avandia suffered a new setback Friday when US health officials offered more evidence of the drug's increased link to heart problems. A document released by the Food and Drug Administrat...

FDA review spotlights heart risk of diabetes pill

2010-07-09T07:16:01Z

FDA scrutinizes Avandia's safety risks ahead of meeting to decide fate of diabetes pill

A review by federal health scientists reinforces potential ties between the diabetes pill Avandia and heart attack and death, opening the door for government action, including a possible withdrawal of the once blockbuster drug. The FDA posted an ...

European agency to review safety of GSK's Avandia

2010-07-09T03:30:13Z

European Medicines Agency to review safety of GlaxoSmithKline's diabetes drug Avandia

The European Medicines Agency says it will review the safety of the diabetes drug Avandia following research suggesting it is linked to a higher risk of heart problems, strokes and dea...

HealthBeat Cell Phones

2010-07-12T12:06:52Z

Tyrone Harvey, 43, of Washington, looks at the program on his cell phone that he uses to input his blood glucose levels and other diabetes related data while at Howard University Hospital in Washington, Friday, July 9, 2010. Harvey uses a cell phone to help manage his diabetes as part of a prog...

Diabesity Surgery

2010-07-07T14:08:36Z

Cristina Iaboni poses for a portrait in her home in Bethany, Conn., on Saturday, June 12, 2010. Iaboni, a diabetic, has found a doctor who is testing weight loss surgery on diabetics who are merely overweight or a tad obese in an attempt to curb the chronic disease. Scientists in recent years have discovered that diabetes all but disapp...

OBESITY_DIABETES

2010-03-29T20:59:29Z

Graph shows counties that are in the top 20 percentile and bottom 20 percentile nationwide for both obesity and diabetes.

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Celebrities Support "Thirst For Life" And Join The 2009 Juvenile Diabetes Research...

2010-03-30T04:39:25Z

Celebrities Support "Thirst For Life" And Join The 2009 Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation's "Walk To Cure Diabetes" Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA 11/08/09 SUGAR RAY LEONARD AND Lorenda Donaugh, top, who was treated for gestational diabetes during her pregnancy, is seen with her two-week-old daughter Adelynn at their Westerville, Ohio, residence Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2009. Treating even mild diabetes that develops during pregnancy helps keep moms and babies from gaining too much weight and makes for easier deliveries, n...

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