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New
Class of Drug - Toll-like receptors (TLRs)
Toll-like
receptors (TLRs), so named for their similarity to a fruit
fly gene, act as sentinels of the immune system, recognizing
danger and activating processes that provide immediate
defense and link innate immunity to the adaptive immune
response. Anadys Pharmaceuticals (www.anadyspharma.com)
recently released clinical data providing evidence that
isatoribine, a selective agonist of TRL7, reduced hepatitis
C viral load.
Full Story:
http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=148908&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=669404&highlight
Walnuts
May Improve Lipid Profile in Type 2 Diabetes
Abstract
from Medscape Medical News – December 2004
Adding
walnuts to a low-fat diet improves lipid profile for
patients with type 2 diabetes, according to the results of a
randomized study published in the December issue of
Diabetes Care.
"Walnuts
are distinguished from other nuts by virtue of their higher
polyunsaturated fat content (and importantly their α-linolenic
acid [ALA] content) combined with antioxidants in the form
of γ-tocopherol," writes Linda C. Tapsell, PhD, from the
National Centre of Excellence in Functional Foods,
University of Wollongong in New South Wales, Australia, and
colleagues. "There are mechanistic explanations for the
influence of dietary polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) on
insulin action and energy metabolism, and cohort studies of
women in the U.S. have demonstrated a reduced risk of
developing type 2 diabetes with dietary PUFA replacing trans
or saturated fatty acids (SFAs)."
Full Story:
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/495023
Funding for
this study was provided by The Australian Research Council
and the California Walnut Commission.
Insulin
Detemir Beat NPH at Blood Glucose Control in clinical tests
Abstract
from Diabetes Health - July 2004
A study of
408 people with type 1 diabetes showed that blood glucose
control was better with detemir, a long acting insulin
analog, than with NPH insulin. During a 16-week study
detemir was administered twice daily using two different
regimens – before breakfast and at bedtime, or at 12-hour
intervals. NPH was administered before breakfast and at
bedtime. Both detemir treated groups showed an improvement
in fasting glucose. The 12-hour interval group showed BGs 27
mg/dl lower than the NPH-treated group; and the before
breakfast and bedtime detemir group showed BGs 40 mg/dl
lower the NPH-treated group. Risk of minor hypoglycemia was
lower in both detemir-treated groups.
Emotional Stress May Precipitate Severe, Reversible Left
Ventricular Dysfunction
Abstract
from Medscape Medical News Feb. 9, 2005
Emotional
stress can precipitate severe but reversible left
ventricular dysfunction caused by an exaggerated sympathetic
response, according to the results of a study published in
the Feb. 10 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
"The
potentially lethal consequences of emotional stress are
deeply rooted in folk wisdom, as reflected by phrases such
as 'scared to death' and 'a broken heart,'" write Ilan S.
Wittstein, MD, from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore,
Maryland, and colleagues. "In the past decade, cardiac
contractile abnormalities and heart failure have been
reported after acute emotional stress, but the mechanism
remains unknown."
Full Story:
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/499044
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New
Study Looks at Potential of Inhaled Insulin
WALTHAM, MA,
January 5, 2005 – There may be good news for
millions of people with diabetes who depend upon
insulin injections to control their diabetes.
A new study is looking at the efficacy of a new
insulin that can be inhaled versus injecting it
subcutaneously (under the skin), which done
repeatedly can cause discomfort, create bruising on
the skin, and be cumbersome to perform. Inhaled
insulin will offer people with insulin-dependent
diabetes ease of use and lessen discomfort by
eliminating or reducing the number of subcutaneous
injections needed in a day.
The new treatment being studied is a dry powder
form of human insulin that can be inhaled through
the mouth from a hand-held aerosol delivery device
similar to an asthma inhaler. It is meant to be
taken before meals as an alternative to a
subcutaneous injection of a short-acting form of
insulin.
Data from two Phase III studies in Type 2
diabetic patients shows equivalent efficacy between
inhaled insulin and traditional insulin injections.
Study patients who received the inhaled insulin
demonstrated greater compliance in reaching
treatment guidelines established by the American
Diabetes Association.
Since extensive and rapid early use of inhaled
insulin is expected, an increased level of
controlled, long-term pulmonary safety data in
diabetic patients is being compiled. Researchers
will be also evaluating the effect of inhaled
insulin versus subcutaneous insulin regarding asthma
control, the frequency and severity of asthma
attacks, glycemic
control, and fasting plasma glucose.
Worldwide
diabetes currently afflicts an estimated 175 million
patients and the incidence of the disease is
increasing at alarming rates, with numbers expected
to double within the next 25 years. In the U.S.,
diabetes is the seventh leading cause of all deaths
and the sixth leading cause of all deaths caused by
disease, claiming the lives of approximately 193,000
U.S. residents each year.
The one-year study, conducted locally by Dr.
Edward J. Busick and
MassResearch in Waltham, will be looking at the
safety and effectiveness of inhaled insulin in
people with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease (COPD).
Men and women who are at least 18 years of age,
with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes and persistent asthma
or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD,
chronic bronchitis and/or emphysema) may be eligible
for this study. For further information, please
contact MassResearch at 781-647-7200 |
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