# Health news 17th September 2010



## Northerner (Sep 17, 2010)

*Diabetics? relief as gadget spells end of daily insulin jabs  *
A metal pancreas could offer new hope to diabetes patients, it emerged yesterday. A British scientist has created the artificial organ to spare patients the discomfort and guesswork involved in injecting themselves with insulin several times a day. The gadget would work in exactly the same way as a real pancreas by releasing the *hormone, which the body needs to help it store glucose from food as energy. Dr Victoria King, Head of Research, quoted.

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view...f-as-gadget-spells-end-of-daily-insulin-jabs-

*Artificial pancreas could free diabetics from daily injections*
AN artificial pancreas has been developed by a British scientist who claims that it could revolutionise the treatment of diabetes within a decade. The device, developed by Professor Joan Taylor of De Montfort University in Leicester, central England, could put an end to the daily injections that diabetics endure to regulate their glucose levels. People who have diabetes either do not produce insulin, or the insulin that they produce does not work properly to regulate sugar levels in the body, with potentially serious complications. Dr Victoria King, Head of Research, quoted.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/new...daily-injections/story-e6frg8y6-1225925209680



*100,000 people unaware they have diabetes*
Nearly 100,000 people in the West Country are unaware that they have Type 2 diabetes. If left undiagnosed it can lead to a serious risk of blindness, amputation, kidney failure, stroke and heart disease Leading health charity Diabetes UK today warns that 98,300 people (almost a third of the diabetic population) in the South West Strategic Health Authority (SHA) area are now thought to have undiagnosed Type 2 diabetes. The new estimates come from Diabetes Health Intelligence, a strategic programme of Yorkshire and Humber Public Health Observatory. The South West SHA area has the greatest proportion of undiagnosed Type 2 cases in England. Graham Cooper, South West Regional Manager, quoted.

http://www.thisissomerset.co.uk/hea...-diabetes/article-2643037-detail/article.html



*Too many Kingston adults untested for diabetes*

Kingston has one of London?s highest rates of people who have not been tested for diabetes, a charity has claimed. Health charity Diabetes UK has warned that nearly 3,000 people in Kingston may be unaware they have the debilitating type 2 strand of diabetes, which can cause blindness, amputation and heart disease. Roz Rozenblatt, London Regional Manager, quoted.

http://www.surreycomet.co.uk/news/8393440.Too_many_Kingston_adults_untested_for_diabetes/

*Huge cultural shift needed in NHS child services*
A previous review found gaps in NHS child protection procedures A huge cultural shift is needed in the NHS in England to ensure children get the right care, a government-commissioned review says. The report, by Professor Sir Ian Kennedy, who used to lead the NHS regulator, said services were mediocre. He called for specialist training for GPs and extra investment in services.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-11326060

*Gene predicts speed of Alzheimer's development*

A genetic marker could be used to predict how fast Alzheimer's disease will develop in patients, scientists claim. A gene variation associated with aggressive progression of Alzheimer's was identified in patients with high levels of a protein linked to the disease. The findings could help predict how quickly patients move from their initial diagnosis to full-blown dementia, researchers said.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/e...predicts-speed-of-Alzheimers-development.html

*Free hospital parking scrapped  *

Plans to provide free parking for hospital patients have been scrapped to save money. The Government?s U-turn was greeted with fury last night. Critics labelled it an ?unjust tax on the sick?. The controversial decision means patients in England will continue to pay astronomical charges while those in the rest of the UK will pay nothing.

http://www.dailyexpress.co.uk/posts/view/200040

*Exercise really does make you clever: Fit children have better memories say experts*
If you want to boost your child?s results at school, you could do a lot worse than ensuring that they do plenty of exercise. Scientists have already shown that physical activity can make you brainier. But a team in America has used scans to show that an important part of the brain actually grows in children who are fit. These youngsters tend to be more intelligent and have better memories than those who are inactive.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/a...make-clever-Fit-children-better-memories.html

*HIV virus used to cure teenager of blood disorder using gene therapy*
The 18-year-old suffered from the inherited condition beta thalassemia and required monthly blood transfusions from the age of three. He felt continuously ill and tired because his body could not properly produce red blood cells due to a faulty haemoglobin gene. The only known cure was stem-cell transplantation, but few patients are able to find a suitable donor.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/a...e-HIV-virus-used-cure-boy-blood-disorder.html


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## novorapidboi26 (Sep 17, 2010)

Loving the artificial pancreas......................sounds really exciting.......the supply of insulin is a small problem though............


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## rossoneri (Sep 17, 2010)

Yes an encouraging story on the artificial pancreas, albeit with the usual caveat about the frequency that these "diabetes cure just a few years away" are published.

Would be interesting to know how exactly they are proposing to top up the insulin supply.  I also wonder how long insulin would last at body temperature - I thought this was why the insulin always had to be delivered from somewhere external to the body.

My other initial thought is that when they have talked about implanting a CBGM to control a pump mechanically an issue has arisen from the scare tissue that forms around the implanted meter compromises the meter's readings.  Could this device have the same problem or does the fact that this has a 'gel barrier' prevent this?

Other than that, I wonder how you can become considered as a candidate for the trials?


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## rossoneri (Sep 17, 2010)

Forgot to say that I also thought that the news about the hospital car park charges was very disappointing too.


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