News by Subject Medicine & Health

The insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas unwittingly produce a signal that may aid their own demise in Type 1 diabetes, according to a study of the lipid signals that drive macrophage cells in the body to two different phenotypes of activated immune cells.

Surgical treatment of obesity is as effective for individuals who developed the disorder early, by the age of 20, as for those who have developed obesity later in life, a study from the University of Gothenburg shows.

Monogenic diabetes affects 1% to 4% of all cases of diabetes. Often confused with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, more than 90% of monogenic cases are misdiagnosed. A study carried out by scientists (UNIGE/HUG) with more than 1,200 young diabetics allowed to identify the proportion of monogenic diabetes in the whole pediatric diabetes population. Consequently, treatments were adjusted according to the genetic characteristics of the disease in order to improve patients' quality of life.

Investigators from Brigham and Women's Hospital find that more than 40% of patients refuse a physician's recommendation of insulin therapy. The study also finds that patients who decline insulin therapy had worse blood sugar control and it took them significantly longer to lower their blood sugar levels than patients who began insulin therapy.

In a study published in JAMA Network Open today, Kaiser Permanente scientists report that diabetes patients who used the Kaiser Permanente patient portal and mobile phone app improved their diabetes management outcomes. The large study, involving more than 111,000 patients, was unique in assessing the relationship between the use of online tools and medication adherence and blood glucose levels.

A peer-delivered program for managing diabetes and chronic pain was shown to be beneficial for rural adults in communities that might otherwise lack access to physician-led services.

Practices certified as medical homes have more systems and improved performance for diabetes care, but the differences are modest.

A healthy diet is essential to living well, but should we change what we eat as we age? UTS researcher Dr Luna Xu has found strong evidence of the link between food groups and memory loss and its comorbidities. Her findings point to a need for age-specific dietary guidelines as the links may vary with age -- people aged 80+ with a low consumption of cereals are at highest risk of memory loss and comorbid heart disease.

Kidney patients benefit by accepting kidneys from donors with hepatitis C, according to a University of Cincinnati physician-researcher. Making the choice reduces organ wait time for kidney patients while saving money over the long run. It also improves the quality of life and life expectancy for kidney patients.