Over the past two decades, there has been significant improvement in the treatment and management of juvenile diabetes. The many new advances achieved and under research by doctors and scientists around the world have greatly improved the life of children with diabetes.

 

The followings are a few areas of interest.

 

 

According to results of a study by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, type 1 diabetics who have already been successful in achieving recommended blood sugar goals can further benefit from using continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices.

 

CGMs provide real-time information on glucose levels, as well as trend information on whether glucose is moving upwards or downwards, and the speed. They also give out warnings when the glucose is becoming too high or too low.

 

The study indicates that CGMs let people who have achieved excellent control (with HbA1c levels below 7 percent) to continue to tightly manage their diabetes, while cutting down on the incidences of low blood sugar. Research has shown that good blood sugar control is essential in reducing the risk of the long-term complications such as blindness and kidney disease.  However, the fear of low blood sugar often prevents people from achieving tight control. This study has shown that, with CGM, hypoglycemia can be reduced while maintaining excellent blood sugar control.

 

(Source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/151721.php)

 

 

For diabetics who need to take regular samples of their own blood to check glucose levels, a new skin patch could one day provide a less-invasive alternative for this procedure.

 

University of Calgary has acquired the patent for a new device called the Electronic Mosquito, which is a patch approximately the size of a deck of cards, containing four micro-needles that "bite" sequentially at programmed intervals. The electronically-controlled needles penetrate the skin, deep enough to draw blood, but not deep enough to hit a nerve. Patients would experience very little pain or no pain at all. The patch could be worn anywhere on the body, as long as it could obtain accurate readings of capillary blood.

 

The e-Mosquito has a sensor that measures blood sugar levels, and the data can then be sent wirelessly to a remote device such a computer or a monitoring instrument.  The system could even be connected to an alarm to alert patients or doctors when blood sugar levels are too high or too low.

 

The researchers hope one day to integrate this with a pump system, so automatic insulin injections can be based on data from the e-Mosquito, thus making the device into an external artificial pancreas.

 

(Source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/147621.php)

 

 

Researchers at MIT have demonstrated that a gel made of small, woven protein fragments can successfully carry and release proteins of different sizes, with a potential usage to deliver drugs such as insulin.

 

The researchers can also control the rate of release by changing the density of the gel, making it possible for a continuous delivery of drugs over a specific period of time. The gel, known as a "nanofibre hydrogel scaffold," enables a gradual release of the proteins from the gel over hours, days or even months.  The gel itself is eventually broken down into amino acids (the building blocks of proteins), which are harmless to the human body. 

 

(Source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/141319.php)

 

 

Scientists in India have developed a pill that could potentially replace insulin injections for all diabetics.

 

The new pill, designed to be taken twice daily, uses nanoparticles (extremely small particles) that allow insulin to be delivered into the bloodstream. to the pH level in the blood breaks down the nanoparticles, and as a result the insulin within will be released. Currently, insulin cannot be taken in pill-form because powerful acids in the stomach break it down.

 

Although tests showed that the nanoparticles are generally compatible with human blood, there are still concerns on whether they might pose risks to humans. For example, they could activate blood platelets and lead to clotting.

 

This research, however, is still in its early stages.  It has been tested in animals, but further studies are needed to establish its suitability and safety for use in people with diabetes. Human trials are expected in the next few months.

 

(Source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/136868.php)