Insulins
Insulin is a hormone made naturally in the body by the pancreas. This hormone controls the level of sugar (glucose) in the blood. People who have type 1 diabetes need to have regular insulin injections. In type 1 diabetes, the body stops making insulin and the blood sugar level goes very high. Some people who have type 2 diabetes may also need to have insulin injections to help control blood sugar levels. Insulin is usually injected under the skin between 2-4 times a day. There are different types of insulin available which are classified according to how quickly and for how long they work. Your doctor or diabetes nurse will discuss the various preparations and devices available and help you choose a regimen that is right for you. Treatment with insulin is usually lifelong. What is insulin and how does it work? What does insulin do? Play VideoPlayMute0:00/0:00Loaded: 0%Progress: 0%Stream TypeLIVE0:00Playback Rate1xChapters Chapters Descriptions descriptions off, selected Subtitles undefined settings, opens undefined settings dialog captions and subtitles off, selected Audio TrackFullscreen This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. TextColorWhiteBlackRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyOpaqueSemi-TransparentBackgroundColorBlackWhiteRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyOpaqueSemi-TransparentTransparentWindowColorBlackWhiteRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyTransparentSemi-TransparentOpaqueFont Size50%75%100%125%150%175%200%300%400%Text Edge StyleNoneRaisedDepressedUniformDropshadowFont FamilyProportional Sans-SerifMonospace Sans-SerifProportional SerifMonospace SerifCasualScriptSmall CapsReset restore all settings to the default valuesDoneClose Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Insulin is a hormone that is Continue reading >>
Diabetes: Synthetic Beta Cells Could Lead To Skin Patch Treatment
A team of scientists has created synthetic pancreatic beta cells that automatically release insulin when they sense high blood sugar. In the journal Nature Chemical Biology, researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University in Raleigh describe how they developed and tested the synthetic cells. Senior author Zhen Gu, a professor in biomedical engineering at both universities, and team hope that one day, the cells could be used in a noninvasive skin patch to treat diabetes. They found that just one injection of the synthetic beta cells kept blood sugar in diabetic mice at normal levels for 5 days. Diabetes is a disease that develops when the body has problems with using or producing insulin, a hormone that helps cells to take in and convert blood sugar, or glucose, into energy. The body produces insulin in the pancreas, which is a glandular organ behind the stomach that houses the beta cells that make and release the right amount of the hormone, depending on glucose levels. Need for noninvasive insulin delivery Around 6 million of the 30 million people in the United States with diabetes manage the disease using insulin treatments, either by regular injections or with infusion pumps. Over the years, there have been attempts to develop a pill form of insulin treatment, but they have encountered problems — including the fact that the body's strong digestive system breaks down the large molecules in the pill before they make it to the bloodstream. It is also possible to treat some cases of diabetes with transplanted pancreatic cells. However, these treatments are costly, need drugs that suppress immune reactions to the transplant, and rely on donated tissue, which is scarce. There is also a high risk that the transplanted c Continue reading >>
Our Treatments And Technologies For Managing Diabetes:
We want to help you live your life to the fullest. We understand that living with diabetes presents you with challenges and we want to help you meet and overcome those challenges by exploring what diabetes means to you as a person and your day-to-day life. We focus on education and making you your own advocate. Through the most current and state-of-the-art treatment, we help you better self-manage your care. Oral Medications There are several classes of oral diabetes medications that we may prescribe if you have type 2 diabetes. They differ in the way they work to reduce blood glucose levels. Frequently, oral medications from different classes are used in combination. Sulfonylureas: These drugs increase the amount of insulin produced by your pancreas. Glyburide (DiaBeta®, Micronase®, Glynase®) Glipzide (Glucotrol®, Glucotrol XL®) Glimepiride (Amaryl®) Meglitinides: These drugs rapidly increase the amount of insulin produced by your pancreas. Repaglinide (Prandin®) Nateglinide (Starlix®) Biguanides: Metformin is the only biguanide on the market. It is thought to work by reducing the production of glucose in your liver. Metformin (Glucophage®, Glucophage®XR, Fortamet®, Glumetza®) Alpha-Glucosidase Inhibitors: These medications reduce the amount of glucose absorbed in your intestines. Acarbose (Precose®) Miglitol (Glyset®) Thiazolidinediones: This agent makes your body more sensitive to insulin. Pioglitazone (Actos®) Dipeptidyl Peptidase 4 inhibitors (DPP-4 inhibitors): These drugs increase the amount of insulin produced by your pancreas after a meal and reduce the amount of glucose produced by your liver. Sitagliptin (Januvia®) Saxagliptin (Onglyza®) Injection Therapies There are several classes of injection therapies for diabetes. These treatments are gi Continue reading >>
Pancreatic Islet Transplantation
What are pancreatic islets? Pancreatic islets, also called islets of Langerhans, are tiny clusters of cells scattered throughout the pancreas. The pancreas is an organ about the size of a hand located behind the lower part of the stomach. Pancreatic islets contain several types of cells, including beta cells, that produce the hormone insulin. The pancreas also makes enzymes that help the body digest and use food. When the level of blood glucose, also called blood sugar, rises after a meal, the pancreas responds by releasing insulin into the bloodstream. Insulin helps cells throughout the body absorb glucose from the bloodstream and use it for energy. Diabetes develops when the pancreas does not make enough insulin, the body's cells do not use insulin effectively, or both. As a result, glucose builds up in the blood instead of being absorbed by cells in the body. In type 1 diabetes, the beta cells of the pancreas no longer make insulin because the body's immune system has attacked and destroyed them. The immune system protects people from infection by identifying and destroying bacteria, viruses, and other potentially harmful foreign substances. A person who has type 1 diabetes must take insulin daily to live. Type 2 diabetes usually begins with a condition called insulin resistance, in which the body has trouble using insulin effectively. Over time, insulin production declines as well, so many people with type 2 diabetes eventually need to take insulin. What is pancreatic islet transplantation? The two types of pancreatic islet transplantation are allo-transplantation auto-transplantation Pancreatic islet allo-transplantation is a procedure in which islets from the pancreas of a deceased organ donor are purified, processed, and transferred into another person. Pancreati Continue reading >>
When Do Type I Diabetics Decide To Inject Their Insulin?
Having no insulin production at all, optimal type I diabetes insulin regime is either -a continuous insulin pump, which extra “bolus” (the amount depending on what is going to be eaten in carbs) before meals to take care of the carb intake with the meals, and when blood sugars rise giving a few extra units to keep blood sugar well controlled. This is at present the best way to regulate one’s blood sugar. or -in most countries type I diabetics inject once or twice daily a stable long acting insulin, at present the most stable (so can be injected once every 24 hours) is Insulin degludec = Tresiba®, although the older Insulin glargine = Lantus® is quite OK too (see upper panel), the slightly older Insulin detemir = Levemir® less so but still acceptable (see lower panel) the older far inferior but cheap intermediate acting NPH insulin is still very popular the developing countries (and in the US?) needs two injections 12 hours apart to achieve the same effect Then you need one of the newer super fast insulin analogues like Insulin aspart = NovoLog®/NovoRapid® and Insulin glulisine = Apidra® injected during meals, how much depending on how much carbs one expects to eat, if needed topping up by an extra injection, less easily done than if having an insulin pump. This is roughly how the multiple insulin injections over the day idealized would look like: Continue reading >>
- Insulin, glucagon and somatostatin stores in the pancreas of subjects with type-2 diabetes and their lean and obese non-diabetic controls
- Could Pitt genetic procedure allow people with type 1 diabetes to produce their own insulin?
- Genetically Engineered Insulin may CAUSE Diabetes Type 1 in Type 2 Diabetics
Encapsulated Cells Could Free Diabetics From Insulin Injections
Type 1 diabetes patients have to constantly monitor their blood sugar levels, regularly injecting insulin to make sure they stay healthy. Not only is this a burden for patients, but it can also be difficult to get right, often resulting in long-term medical problems. A team of researchers, including scientists from MIT, has been working on a better system. They're developing a transplantable capsule that can carry cells able to replace the patient's lost ability to produce insulin, and that isn't rejected or rendered useless by the host's body. The idea of implanting pancreatic islet cells that are able to monitor glucose and provide insulin release isn't actually new. In fact, hundreds of patients have undergone such treatment, but every attempt has suffered from the same issue. If left unchecked, the subject's immune system eventually attacks the transplanted cells, making it necessary patients to take immunosuppressant drugs for the rest of their lives. A team of scientists lead by researchers from MIT and Boston Children's Hospital has worked to adjust the treatment in order to remove that drawback. They started by working with a material called alginate, which is isolated from brown algae. The material is able to encapsulate cells without causing them harm, while allowing sugars, proteins and other molecules to pass through it. Those properties made the alginate a good candidate for the implantable capsule. However, previous work had shown that when the material is implanted in primates and humans, scar tissue builds up around it, eventually making the device useless. In order to ensure that the material would work for long-term use, the researchers began to add different small molecules to the polymer chain. All in all, they tried almost 800 derivatives, eventuall Continue reading >>
What Is Insulin?
Insulin is a hormone made by the pancreas that allows your body to use sugar (glucose) from carbohydrates in the food that you eat for energy or to store glucose for future use. Insulin helps keeps your blood sugar level from getting too high (hyperglycemia) or too low (hypoglycemia). The cells in your body need sugar for energy. However, sugar cannot go into most of your cells directly. After you eat food and your blood sugar level rises, cells in your pancreas (known as beta cells) are signaled to release insulin into your bloodstream. Insulin then attaches to and signals cells to absorb sugar from the bloodstream. Insulin is often described as a “key,” which unlocks the cell to allow sugar to enter the cell and be used for energy. If you have more sugar in your body than it needs, insulin helps store the sugar in your liver and releases it when your blood sugar level is low or if you need more sugar, such as in between meals or during physical activity. Therefore, insulin helps balance out blood sugar levels and keeps them in a normal range. As blood sugar levels rise, the pancreas secretes more insulin. If your body does not produce enough insulin or your cells are resistant to the effects of insulin, you may develop hyperglycemia (high blood sugar), which can cause long-term complications if the blood sugar levels stay elevated for long periods of time. Insulin Treatment for Diabetes People with type 1 diabetes cannot make insulin because the beta cells in their pancreas are damaged or destroyed. Therefore, these people will need insulin injections to allow their body to process glucose and avoid complications from hyperglycemia. People with type 2 diabetes do not respond well or are resistant to insulin. They may need insulin shots to help them better process Continue reading >>
Insulin Replacement Therapy
Insulin replacement therapy and type 1 and 2 diabetes Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system attacks the cells that make insulin. This results in no or very little insulin. Type 1 diabetes is also called insulin-dependent diabetes. It usually happens at a younger age. It often starts before age 30. Treatment for type 1 diabetes includes getting daily multiple injections of insulin or using an insulin pump. Type 2 diabetes typically means the body cannot make enough insulin for the amount of insulin resistance. Insulin resistance means the body cannot use insulin the way it should. Treatment often begins with an exercise program and a healthy diet to help lower the blood sugar levels. But if this treatment plan doesn't work, you may need medicine. Medicines for diabetes may be pills or injections. What is insulin? Insulin is a hormone made by the pancreas. It helps lower the blood sugar by moving sugar from the bloodstream into the cells of the body. Once inside the cells, blood sugar becomes the main source of energy for the body. What are the different types of insulin? There are 4 types of insulin. Each works in specific ways. Onset How quickly the insulin starts to work after it is injected Peak time The period of time when the insulin helps most to lower blood sugar levels Duration How long the insulin keeps working in the body Insulin may act differently when given to different people, so the times of onset, peak time, and duration may vary. The 4 types of insulin are: Insulin type Onset (approximate) Peak time (approximate) Duration (approximate) Rapid acting, Lispro, Aspart, Glulisine insulin 15 minutes 1 hour 2 to 4 hours Short acting, Regular (R) insulin 30 minutes 2 to 3 hours 3 to 6 hours Intermediate acting, NPH (N) or Len Continue reading >>
What Is The Difference Between Fast And Slow Acting Insulin Solutions?
Insulin has been available since 1925. It was initially extracted from beef and pork pancreases. In the early 1980s, technology became available to produce human insulin synthetically. Synthetic human insulin has replaced beef and pork insulin in the US. And now, insulin analogs are replacing human insulin. Regular Human Insulin which has an onset of action of 1/2 hour to 1 hour, peak effect in 2 to 4 hours, and duration of action of 6 to 8 hours. The larger the dose of regular the faster the onset of action, but the longer the time to peak effect and the longer the duration of the effect. NPH Human Insulin which has an onset of insulin effect of 1 to 2 hours, a peak effect of 4 to 6 hours, and duration of action of more than 12 hours. Very small doses will have an earlier peak effect and shorter duration of action, while higher doses will have a longer time to peak effect and prolonged duration. Long acting insulin analogs (Insulin Glargine, Insulin Detemir) which have an onset of insulin effect in 1 1/2–2 hours. The insulin effect plateaus over the next few hours and is followed by a relatively flat duration of action that lasts 12–24 hours for insulin detemir and 24 hours for insulin glargine. Continue reading >>
Insulin For Type 2 Diabetes: Who, When, And Why?
Physicians who treat people with type 2 diabetes face difficult choices when selecting the best medical therapy for each patient. The decision process is further complicated by the fact that because type 2 diabetes is a progressive disease, therapeutic agents that were initially successful may fail five or ten years later. As recently as 1994, there were only two options for patients with type 2 diabetes: insulin and the sulfonylureas (such as glyburide and glipizide). The good news is that today, seven totally different classes of medications are available, as well as much better insulins. The bad news is that many physicians are more confused than ever, especially when faced with the option of combining two, three, or even more drugs at one time. In addition, the past several years have seen the advent of six combination drugs (such as Glucovance, Avandamet, and Janumet), with more on the way. Faced with this explosion of therapeutic options, many physicians are reluctant to start insulin therapy even when it is clearly indicated. Insulin Resistance and Deficiency in Type 2 Diabetes Most patients with type 2 diabetes suffer from two major defects: insulin resistance and beta cell “burnout.” Insulin resistance typically precedes outright diabetes by several years, appearing in adults and children who are overweight, sedentary, and have a genetic predisposition to diabetes. Patients with insulin resistance are often diagnosed with the metabolic syndrome, which predisposes them to both type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. When food is ingested, insulin is secreted by the beta cells into the bloodstream. The insulin travels to the liver or muscles, where it attaches to receptors on the surface of the cells like a key in a lock. In non-diabetic people, this proc Continue reading >>
- Stressing The Difference Between Type 1 And Type 2 Diabetes: Why Do We Care?
- This is why it's so important to know the difference between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes
- Relative contribution of type 1 and type 2 diabetes loci to the genetic etiology of adult-onset, non-insulin-requiring autoimmune diabetes
Daily Insulin Injections For Diabetics Could Be A Thing Of The Past Thanks To Pig Cell Transplants
Pig cells could soon be transplanted into diabetics - replacing the need for daily jabs. Scientists have developed a way to prevent immune rejection by coating the insulin producing pancreatic cells with protective chemicals. It is hoped they may be able to safely treat humans with type 1 diabetes when the pancreas stops producing insulin which breaks down sugar in the blood. Patients have to regularly inject themselves with the hormone, or blood sugar levels remain high, damaging the body's organs and systems. Now the 'stealth' pig cells may hold the key to treating the condition. The idea is not new but to protect transplanted donor cells in the past researchers have tried to coat them with thick gels, or other coatings, that have not worked. In experiments, coated mouse cells survived and functioned as long as 40 days in diabetic mice that lacked working immune systems. Dr Hubert Tse, of the University of Alabama in the US, said: "We showed they do stay alive, and they function to regulate blood glucose." The researchers are currently testing the survival and functioning of nano-coated cells from mice or pigs in diabetic mice with intact immune systems. Pancreatic pig cells, unlike their human equivalent, offer an unlimited supply of insulin producing tissue. The different approach applies a gentler and much thinner coating of just five layers of material about 30 nanometres thick, about one two thousandth of a human hair. These layers act as a physical barrier that destroys harmful chemicals, and dampen the immune response. The thinness of the coat allows nutrients and oxygen easy passage to the cells. Co author Professor Eugenia Kharlampieva said: "We did not expect the multi layers would show such a large, potential benefit." One of the layers, tannic acid, can sc Continue reading >>
What Is Insulin?
Essential for life, the hormone insulin regulates many metabolic processes that provide cells with needed energy. Understanding insulin, what insulin does, and how it affects the body, is important to your overall health. Tucked away behind the stomach is an organ called the pancreas, which produces insulin. Insulin production is regulated based on blood sugar levels and other hormones in the body. In a healthy individual, insulin production and release is a tightly regulated process, allowing the body to balance its metabolic needs. What does insulin do? Insulin allows the cells in the muscles, fat and liver to absorb glucose that is in the blood. The glucose serves as energy to these cells, or it can be converted into fat when needed. Insulin also affects other metabolic processes, such as the breakdown of fat or protein. Problems with insulin production or use The most common problem associated with insulin is diabetes. Diabetes occurs when the body either does not secrete enough insulin or when the body no longer uses the insulin it secretes effectively. Diabetes falls into two categories: Type 1 diabetes occurs when the pancreas cannot produce insulin sufficiently to meet its own needs. This commonly occurs in children, and while an exact cause has not been found, many consider it to be an autoimmune disease. Some symptoms of type 1 diabetes include tiredness, increased urination and thirst, and problems with vision. Type 2 diabetes is more commonly associated with adults and lifestyle choices. People with type 2 diabetes will produce insulin but often not enough for their body's needs. They may also struggle to use the insulin they produce effectively. Patients may not know they have type 2 diabetes until they have an annual checkup, as symptoms tend to be mild un Continue reading >>
If Cancerous Cells Are Injected Into A Healthy Person, Will He/she Get Cancer? Why Or Why Not?
It depends entirely on the type of cancer. One example where precisely this does occur, is in Tasmanian devils. Devil facial tumour disease - Wikipedia. In humans a few things would have to go right for the cancer to take hold. One, the cells would have to find the right micro-environment where they could take hold and propagate. If you started with a cancer that was already metastatic this would be relatively trivial. Metastatic cancers already travel throughout the body using the blood and lymph systems, and readily find new places to grow. Solid, non-metastatic cancers are unlikely to be passed on through injection. Leukemias also would not readily take hold in the bone marrow I think. However metastatic melanomas would be an ideal candidate. Secondly they would have to elude the new host’s immune system. This is the tricky one. One of the reasons that cancer is so pernicious and difficult to treat is that in most ways the cancerous cells look exactly like every other cell in the persons body. The patient’s immune system effectively does not see the caner. If you inject someone else’s cancer into a person however, the immune system will automatically target it, for the same reason that we reject transplanted organs like liver and kidneys. They recognise the cells as being foreign. Not because it is cancerous, but because it’s from another person. Now, if you did haplotype matching with the cancer, just like you do with transplant patients, it is possible that you could give someone a cancer that would not be targeted by the immune system. In addition there are some cancers that switch off all systems that present antigens on the surface and become “invisible” to the immune system. My immunology is not quite good enough to know whether or not this would go Continue reading >>
Everything You Need To Know About Insulin
Insulin is a hormone made in your pancreas, a gland located behind your stomach. It allows your body to use glucose for energy. Glucose is a type of sugar found in many carbohydrates. After a meal or snack, the digestive tract breaks down carbohydrates and changes them into glucose. Glucose is then absorbed into your bloodstream through the lining in your small intestine. Once glucose is in your bloodstream, insulin causes cells throughout your body to absorb the sugar and use it for energy. Insulin also helps balance your blood glucose levels. When there’s too much glucose in your bloodstream, insulin signals your body to store the excess in your liver. The stored glucose isn’t released until your blood glucose levels decrease, such as between meals or when your body is stressed or needs an extra boost of energy. Diabetes occurs when your body doesn't use insulin properly or doesn't make enough insulin. There are two main types of diabetes: type 1 and type 2. Type 1 diabetes is a type of autoimmune disease. These are diseases in which the body attacks itself. If you have type 1 diabetes, your body can’t make insulin. This is because your immune system has destroyed all of the insulin-producing cells in your pancreas. This disease is more commonly diagnosed in young people, although it can develop in adulthood. In type 2 diabetes, your body has become resistant to the effects of insulin. This means your body needs more insulin to get the same effects. Therefore, your body overproduces insulin to keep blood glucose levels normal. However, after many years of overproduction, the insulin-producing cells in your pancreas burn out. Type 2 diabetes also affects people of any age, but typically develops later in life. Injections of insulin as a replacement or supplement Continue reading >>
Insulin: The Holy Grail Of Diabetes Treatment
Insulin is a hormone made by beta cells in the pancreas. When we eat, insulin is released into the blood stream where it helps to move glucose from the food we have eaten into cells to be used as energy. In people with type 1 diabetes, the body produces little or no insulin as the cells that produce insulin have been destroyed by an autoimmune reaction in the body. Insulin replacement by daily injections is required. In people with type 2 diabetes the body produces insulin but the insulin does not work as well as it should. This is often referred to as insulin resistance. To compensate the body makes more but eventually cannot make enough to keep the balance right. Lifestyle changes can delay the need for tablets and/or insulin to stabilise blood glucose levels. When insulin is required, it is important to understand that this is just the natural progression of the condition. RMIT University have produced a short overview of insulin, a drug that keeps in excess of one million Australians alive. Watch the video to understand why insulin is important and why so many Australians rely on it to stay alive. Copyright © 2015 RMIT University, Prepared by the School of Applied Sciences (Discipline of Chemistry). At this stage, insulin can only be injected. Insulin cannot be given in tablet form as it would be destroyed in the stomach, meaning it would not be available to convert glucose into energy. Insulin is injected through the skin into the fatty tissue known as the subcutaneous layer. You do not inject it into muscle or directly into the blood. Absorption of insulin varies depending on the part of the body into which you inject. The tummy (abdomen) absorbs insulin the fastest and is the site used by most people. The buttocks and thighs are also used by some people. While i Continue reading >>
