5 reasons T1 is on the rise…

31 August 2010
13 Comments

This article came via email in my inbox a couple of weeks ago and I thought it was pretty interesting. Not sure all of the reasons are viable nor proven, but interesting for discussion.

This is what it said:

A 2009 study in The Lancet found that new cases of type 1 diabetes in kids could double in the next 10 years. Possible reasons for this dramatic rise include:

1. Too big too fast. The “accelerator hypothesis” theorizes that children who are bigger and grow more quickly are more likely to develop type 1 diabetes.
2. Too little sun. The “sunshine hypothesis” comes from data showing that countries situated closer to the equator have lower rates of type 1…

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By Nic on 31 August 2010 at 9.29 am
Posted in Science & Research
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Type 1 and coeliac.

9 August 2010
10 Comments

I had someone contact me last week on behalf of a woman who had just been diagnosed with coeliac (wheat/gluten intolerance) on top of having Type 1. Boooo hiss. Totally not fair. I remember being at kids camp a couple of years ago and there were several kids there who had the two. Camp were brilliantly prepared, often with two different queues for kids with “just” T1 and those with coeliac as well. I also remember Elissa Renouf at DYNZ conference last year saying that a couple of her kids have both and they have to have special gluten free jellybeans for hypos – gah!

Apart from “they’re both auto-immune conditions”,…

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By Nic on 9 August 2010 at 11.00 am
Posted in Food, Science & Research
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An end to finger pricking?

3 August 2010
3 Comments

I see that Reuters (and many other sites) have reported that an implant has been tested in pigs which measures and transmits blood glucose levels wirelessly. It’s not exactly mentioned where ultimately this would be transmitted to, but there is a mention of cellphones.

Apparently this has been tested in pigs and worked in one for a year, the other for ten months – wahey! The not-so-wahey bit is that the implant is actually 3.8 by 12.7 cm – where on earth are they implanting that puppy?! Crikey!

I have to say though I love the sound of this, taking the CGMS to the next level – no regular changeovers of sensors, no chance sensors can fall out, and no…

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By Nic on 3 August 2010 at 10.45 am
Posted in CGMS, Hypos & Hypers, Monitoring, Science & Research, Technology & Equipment
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Aaron: How do they even do it?

12 July 2010
4 Comments

At the risk of sounding like a TV game show host or a question card from Trivial Pursuit – how do they make insulin?

It’s a question that I found myself asking the other day when I was reading the label of my Novorapid vial which says;

“The active substance in Novorapid is insulin aspart produced by biotechnology. Novorapid contains the following other substances: Glycerol, Phenol, Metacresol, Zinc Chloride, Disodium phosphate dihydrate, Sodium Hydroxide, Hydrochloric acid and Water for injections”.

It’s quite amazing when I think about it but I have absolutely no idea how insulin is made these days! I’m imagining labs filled with all sorts of technology and I did manage the find the image you can see…

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By Aaron on 12 July 2010 at 11.23 am
Posted in Science & Research, Technology & Equipment
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Aaron: Flu vaccine, a storm in a teacup?

2 June 2010
19 Comments

Winter is well and truly upon us and as if to remind me, I’ve got my first cold of the season already!

So as I sit at home with a lovely bowl of chicken soup wrapped in my dressing gown feeling sorry for myself, I’m trying remember that:

A cold is not the same as a flu and – a flu is awful! and,
Decide whether or not it’s worth while going in and getting the flu vacine from my GP or not this year

I did go and it the vaccine last year but I got the flu anyway and so I wasn’t totally convinced it was worth it (even if it made it not so bad as it would…

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By Aaron on 2 June 2010 at 9.00 am
Posted in Science & Research
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