Mouse Cells Grown In Rats Cure Diabetes In Mice

Mouse cells grown in rats cure diabetes in mice

SPOT ON Researchers created a mouse embryo that contains rat cells (red). Hybrid, or chimeric, animals may eventually grow human organs to be used in transplants.
Growing human organs in other animals is a small step closer to reality.
Injecting human stem cells into pig and cattle embryos created embryos that incorporate a small number of human cells, scientists report January 26 in Cell. The ultimate goal of the controversial research is to use hybrid, or chimeric, animals to produce human organs for transplant.
Farm animals incubating human organs wont appear anytime soon, says Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte, a stem cell biologist at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, Calif. I feel were still far away from that, says Belmonte, who led the work. It has taken his group four years just to deliver a message that, yes, human cells can integrate into a pig.
While human-animal chimera work is still in its infancy (and faces ethical and funding hurdles, see sidebar ), hybrids of rats and mice are already hinting that growing an organ from
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9 Tips for Dining Out With Type 2 Diabetes

9 Tips for Dining Out With Type 2 Diabetes
Prepare to unleash your inner foodie.Photo Credit: Lumina via Stocksy
Dining out shouldnt be stressful, but when youve been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, visiting a restaurant can feel suddenly fraught with peril. The temptation of the bread basket or the risk of waiting a ridiculously long time for your food might be enough to keep you at home. Fortunately, with a little preparation you can still do dinner at the latest Italian hot spot while sticking to your meal plan. Keep reading for nine tips to help you navigate and thoroughly enjoy your next night out.
A picture is worth a thousand words.Photo Credit: @vsoipetch via Twenty20
While reviewing a restaurants menu online can certainly help you plan ahead, take your reconnaissance to the next level by checking out your destinations Instagram, Facebook and more. I recommend my clients look at the restaurants social media accounts beforehand, says Lori Zanini, RD, a certified diabetes educator and creator of the free 7-Day Diabetes Meal Plan . Pictures on social media will provide a great idea of how large portion sizes are and which dishes look like the best option for them. And it lets them plan in advance for portion control.
A handful of almonds should hold you over.Photo Credit: @shannonfieldsphoto via Twenty20
Sure, making a reservation is always a good idea when youre trying to stick to an eating schedule, but theres no guarantee youll be seated on time or that your food will show up promptly. To avoid a blood sugar low if your meal is delayed, Zanini recommends Continue reading

Cell-based therapy for type 1 diabetes?

Scientists reverse diabetes in a mouse model using modified blood stem cells
IMAGE:In type 1 diabetes, autoreactive T-cells attack insulin-producing islet cells in the pancreas (frame 1). Fiorina and colleagues showed that the network of genetic regulatory factors controlling production of... view more
Researchers at Boston Children's Hospital have successfully reversed type 1 diabetes in a mouse model by infusing blood stem cells pre-treated to produce more of a protein called PD-L1, which is deficient in mice (and people) with type 1 diabetes. The cells curbed the autoimmune reaction in cells from both mice and humans and reversed hyperglycemia in diabetic mice.
Findings were published today in Science Translational Medicine. "There's really a reshaping of the immune system when you inject these cells," says Paolo Fiorina, MD, PhD, of Boston Children's, senior investigator on the study.
The study shows that the treated stem cells, given to mice, home to the pancreas where islet cells are made. Almost all the mice were cured of diabetes in the short term, and one third maintained normal blood sugar levels for the duration of their lives. The treatment was effective whether PD-L1 production was stimulated through gene therapy or pre-treatment with small molecules.
Previous studies have tried using immunotherapies for type 1 diabetes, aiming to curb the autoimmune attack on the body's islet cells. These attempts have failed, in part because the therapies have not targeted diabetes specifically. Autologous bone-marrow transplant -- infusing patients with their own blo Continue reading

You Can Eat to Beat Diabetes

The number hit you like a slap in the face: Nearly half of Americans have diabetes or likely will soon, according to a recent crunching of national data in the Journal of the American Medical Association. If you just mentally counted yourself out of that half because you arent fat, or you think youre pretty fit, heads up: Youre not immune. Twenty percent of Americans with prediabetes are at a normal weight double the percentage from two decades ago.
Whats going on? Our food supply has become flooded with sugar, which has exposed a latent metabolic vulnerability in an awful lot of people, says Dr. Tim Church, a researcher with the Pennington Biomedical Research Center. In other words, evolution hasnt had the chance to catch up with the way we eat. From 1977 to the present, the amount of added sugar we consume has soared 30 percent, and our metabolism is losing its ability to process the onslaught.
This means that if you eat a lot of refined carbs and added sugars which, lets face it, most of us do and you arent blessed with the genes that can handle them, your pancreas has to produce an overload of insulin to clear sugars from your bloodstream. That excess insulin cues more fat to be stored in your gut. This visceral fat, explains Dr. Samar Hafida of the Joslin Diabetes -Center, produces inflammatory hormones that can cause diabetes as well as heart disease and strokes. Worse, you may not even know this is happening. The added fat can wind its way around and inside organs and muscles without ever producing a telltale beer belly or an alarming number on the bathroom sc Continue reading

7 Steps To Reverse Diabetes So You Never Have To Take Insulin Or Medication Again

Diabetes is a disease that involves your body’s inability to handle glucose. Most individuals are diagnosed type 2 diabetes.
The real cause of diabetes
The pancreas releases insulin which helps in the conversion of glucose into energy. Patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes can produce insulin, but their cells are unable to use it properly. In medicine, this condition is known as insulin resistance.
The pancreas produces more insulin in an effort to get glucose into cells. However, it’s unable to keep it up, and the glucose tends to build up in the blood.
The number of patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes is three times higher since the 80s. Today, the disease can affect people of every age, including children. Scientists predict that by 2050 one in three Americans will deal with diabetes.
One third of our Medicare dollars go for diabetics, which gives it the biggest portion of our federal debt. The worst thing is that the numbers keep going up.
“Diabesity” involves numerous health problems ranging from mild insulin resistance to obesity and diabetes. It often leads to the development of heart disease, cancer, and premature death. We have some good news for you. Each of these conditions can be prevented and reversed.
People believe that diabetes is non-reversible because of the complications including kidney failure, stroke, amputation, dementia, and stroke. Some experts are trying to convince us that managing diabetes is impossible, but that’s not true.
There’s strong scientific evidence proving that both diabetes and obesity can be prevente Continue reading