A Corpus Christi Parent Dealing With Diabetes

Scar tissue

2007-10-04T17:29:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to vent about scar tissue! I just changed my son's infusion site and it is getting very hard after 6 years to find usable skin that isn't scar tissue. Yes the obvious would be to move to another area of his body, but change is hard. Especially when you've found someplace that's comfortable (relatively speaking) and dependable (at least when it was fresh skin). Now the thought of having to get use to someplace new is inconceivable is his little world. Scar tissue be damned! There has got to be a fresh 6mm patch around here somewhere. Why can't we come up with something that won't hurt, or leave scars! Scientist hurry up! I just hope his little hinny holds out until then.

A New Direction

2007-10-02T12:38:00.000-05:00

Many years ago, I helped start a support group for parents who had kids with diabetes. My son was very young when he was diagnosed back then, just 3 years old. We had a one year old daughter and were still in that new parent mode. After the diagnosis we realized the lifestyle we had to lead was going to be very overwhelming. It was. Gathering as much information as possible, at that time, seemed to be the best coping mechanism I could find. The Internet was a source of both information and comfort. The more I learned about Diabetes the more in control I began to feel. Each piece of information became part of the arsenal I would use to in this "war" against this disease.
When I started the support group I thought the more information I can share with, and learn from others would help me win my battle. But it wasn't like that. People get tired of war. I got tired of fighting. After 8 years my spirit was not as strong and I began to compromise. If I can't win, maybe there's a way we can just peacefully live with this. I began to look at the newly diagnosed families with a smug air of maturity. They are so young and naive. After a few years they too will see that this is a battle you cannot win. This made running a support group very hard for me. There was this constant internal battle between that idealist "Conquer the Disease" rally call and that "day to day living" acceptance of fate. So the support group fell apart. And this website was ignored.
There is a big misconception out there that if you have a disease you need a support group. I don't agree. I think you just need support. Where ever you may find it. I had forgotten that I once found mine here. That's why I decided to come back. So the new direction of this website is support. Whenever I find anything that may be helpful to parents dealing with diabetes I will post that here, to help pass it along. But I will also post anything that I need to share to help me get through the day to day stuff. Things I need to talk about, but can't with someone who doesn't understand. Some days I need support. Some days I just need someone to listen.

Roche Diagnostics Recalls Some of its ACCU-CHEK® Aviva Meters in the U.S. Due to a Potential Electronic Malfunction

2005-11-27T21:55:00.000-06:00

Indianapolis, November 11, 2005

Roche Diagnostics Recalls Some of its ACCU-CHEK® Aviva Meters in the U.S. Due to a Potential Electronic Malfunction

In cooperation with the U.S. Food & Drug Administration, Roche Diagnostics has voluntarily sent people with diabetes, physicians, and pharmacists a letter informing them of a recall of some of its ACCU-CHEK® Aviva blood glucose meters, due to a potential electronic malfunction which will cause the meter to render itself inoperable or may cause the meter to show an erroneous result. This issue applies to ACCU-CHEK Aviva meters with serial numbers 52500000000 through 52510999999. Aviva test strips are not affected by this recall. To date, no adverse event has been confirmed in the United States, in relation to this issue.

People with diabetes, health care professionals, pharmacists, and distributors have been instructed that if they have a meter with these serial numbers, they should contact 1-888-591-5084 for a complimentary product replacement. This information is also available on the ACCU-CHEK website at www.accu-chek.com.
For more information please contact:

Doyia Turner
Corporate Communications
Roche Diagnostics
Phone 317-521-7252
Cell: 317-694-0335
Doyia.turner@roche.com

Another Route for a Cure?

2005-11-27T21:25:00.000-06:00

Test will try to fend off type 1 diabetes
By Warren King
Thursday, November 24, 2005

Seattle Times medical reporter

Seattle researchers will soon begin testing a way to stave off diabetes by tripping up the immune system with the help of mouse cells.

Scientists at the Pacific Northwest Research Institute (PNRI) will be part of a national effort to see if they can stop type 1 diabetes — or at least delay its progression — by derailing the immune cells that attack the body's insulin producers.

The experimental therapy "has a reasonable shot at being the first building block toward a cure," said Dr. Bill Hagopian, director of PNRI's work on the therapy. In early trials, the treatment has enabled patients to continue making a portion of the insulin they need for up to two years.

Type 1 diabetes, formerly known as juvenile diabetes, afflicts more than 1 million people in the United States. It develops when the immune system destroys the cells that produce insulin, which the body needs to process sugar.

Most cases of type 1 diabetes develop in childhood or young adulthood, and patients become dependent on injected insulin for the rest of their lives. Complications include heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney damage and amputations. Many sufferers have shortened lives.

Scientists in Seattle and four other cities are testing the notion that if they treat patients within about six months of a diabetes diagnosis, they can prevent destruction of all the insulin-producing "beta" cells.

"We want to get in there early to extend the 'honeymoon' phase," when about 10 percent to 25 percent of the patient's beta cells are alive and still functioning, Hagopian said.

Diabetes study

To learn more, including how to enroll, call the Pacific Northwest Research Institute, 888-324-2140, or Benaroya Research Institute, 800-888-4187.
The treatment would not be effective for the more-common type 2 diabetes, which usually begins in adulthood and affects more than 19 million people in the United States. It is not caused by an immune-system problem but develops when the pancreas gradually loses its ability to produce insulin.

Researchers at PNRI will test the type 1 treatment on 13 newly diagnosed patients, ages 15 to 30. They will be among a total 70 patients nationwide, including at Columbia University; the University of California, San Francisco; the University of Colorado; and the University of Florida. The Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle also is planning to join the study, funded by the National Institutes of Health.

And that's where the mice come in.

The treatment relies on the rodents to help make a drug containing the protective antibodies:

These "monoclonal antibodies" are taken from laboratory-preserved mouse cells, then altered to prevent a human allergic reaction and tailored to seek out key human immune cells.

The antibodies then are mass-produced and injected into the patients, where they "neutralize" the immune cells that otherwise would orchestrate a wide attack on the insulin-producing beta cells.

Scientists believe that protecting those remaining beta cells will decrease the chances of long-term complications of diabetes, especially with repeated treatments. They also hope that the therapy eventually may "reset" the immune system, permanently ending the attacks on beta cells.

In a best-case scenario, the beta cells then would begin to multiply slowly, perhaps with the help of hormonal treatments, and eventually return to normal levels, essentially curing the diabetes, Hagopian said.

To read the rest of the Article go to Seattle Times Local News

Paradigm® users are now free to choose their own infusion set brand

2005-11-27T21:00:00.000-06:00

Why should you be forced to use an infusion set you aren't comfortable with? The new THINSet® 1.8 and 3.0 ml Syringe Reservoirs are engineered to accept any infusion set that uses a standard Luer fitting. This means you now have a choice when it comes to infusion sets. Although the THINSet reservoirs may look different from the original, rest assured, these reservoirs are designed exclusively for use with your Paradigm® pump.

The freedom to choose is yours. Make the right choice with ADR products.

FEATURES:
Reservoir 326A is compatible with Medtronic Paradigm® 511 and 512 pumps
Reservoir 332A is compatible with Medtronic Paradigm® 712 pumps
½" 22-gauge needle with protective cover
Bold, easy-to-read barrel markings
Smooth-travel plunger with positive stop at barrel end
Standard Luer fittings compatible with all Luer infusion sets
Made in the USA
Taken from: Applied Diabetes Research Inc. Website visit for more info

Oral Insulin? Maybe one day!

2005-11-21T13:00:00.000-06:00

Diabetics could one day take their insulin in the form of a capsule rather than by injection after a trial in patients revealed promising results.
British-based company Diabetology said early trials in a small group of eight patients showed the insulin from the capsules could be successfully absorbed by the body. Charity Diabetes UK welcomed the results, but said further bigger trials were needed to make sure the capsules were as effective as possible.
The trial of eight male patients with Type 1 diabetes was carried out at Bradford Teaching Hospital and involved giving the patients the oral insulin called Capsulin. Their blood glucose and plasma insulin concentrations were then measured every 15 minutes for up to eight hours. Dr Donald Whitelaw, a consultant physician in diabetes and endocrinology at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "The opportunity to have insulin available in oral form has been a goal for researchers and people with diabetes for many years.
"This study has shown that Capsulin, studied here for the first time in people with Type 1 - insulin dependent - diabetes, produces an increase in plasma insulin while maintaining or even lowering blood glucose. "Capsulin therefore provides a means of delivering insulin via the gut in a form which is acceptable and easy to take. "Future studies will establish its suitability for use in everyday medical practice." Diabetology are now working on further trials of Capsulin in both patients with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.
Taken from
Insulin capsule hopes for diabetics
18:44pm 15th November 2005
Daily Mail 24 hrs a day

SU chemistry professor develops breakthrough technology for non-invasive, pain-free

2005-10-17T18:14:00.000-05:00

By Carol Kim october 11, 2005
A Syracuse University chemistry professor has patented a device that aims to make painful fingerstick testing of glucose levels a thing of the past for diabetics. To address the problems of invasive blood glucose testing, Professor Joseph Chaiken, of the Department of Chemistry in The College of Arts and Sciences, has developed the LighTouch, which accurately monitors glucose levels without a single drop of blood.
The novel procedure uses a laser to measure spectroscopic signals in blood while the blood is still in the capillaries. Abnormal levels of blood components, such as glucose, can be detected without pricking a person’s finger.

To read the complete Article please go to Syracuse University News or Light Touch Medical

What will they think of next?

2005-10-17T18:07:00.000-05:00

With technology raceing ahead at record speeds it was just a matter of time before your cell phone could do just about anything. Now LG technology has created a cell phone that will test your Blood Sugar! Yes, that's right, TEST YOUR BLOOD SUGAR!

LG KP8400 cellphone with blood tester for diabetics
Posted Oct 8, 2004, 9:40 AM ET by Joshua Fruhlinger
Related entries: Cellphones, Misc. Gadgets

In an unusual, but sensible, marriage of technologies, LG has released the KP8400 cellphone that doubles as a blood test for diabetics. The phone includes a tester into which users can place a blood test drop on a strip, place the strip in a special reader on the phone (located near the phone’s battery pack), and get insulin and blood readings on the phone display. Readings can then be uploaded to an online database for retrieval later on. Because of the added technology the rest of the phone isn’t anything to write home about, but it’s more than sufficient: 262k color TFT display, CIF camera, and 64 voice polyphonic sound.

Guide to Healthy Restaurant Eating

2005-10-06T13:47:00.000-05:00

The Guide to Healthy Restaurant Eating, Third Edition, by Hope S. Warshaw, MMsc, RD, CDE. (American Diabetes Association, 2005). 732 pages. Softcover, $17.95. ISBN 1580402461 is now available. The third edition of Hope Warshaw's Guide to Healthy Restaurant Eating has over 5,000 menu items (up from 3,500 in the second edition) from more than 60 restaurant chains (up from 55). With this book, eating out doesn't have to be a guessing game. Like donuts for breakfast? The full menu from Dunkin' Donuts is here (jelly filled donuts have 32 grams of carbs and 11 grams of fat). You'll find all the hamburger, chicken, seafood, submarine sandwich, pizza, and Mexican food chains, as well as family style sit-down restaurants like Bennigan's, Denny's, and Ruby Tuesday. If you eat out a lot, this book will help you make informed food choices. While the book is small in size, it weighs 1 1/4 pounds, so you may want to plan before you go out to eat. (FROM CWD Cookbooks and Nutrional Books selection)

ADA Walk Saturday

2005-10-06T08:16:00.000-05:00

Don't Forget the ADA "Dancing Through Downtown" Fundraiser walk will be this Saturday 7:30am. Walk will start at 8:30 leaving From the Whataburger Field through Downtown and back. It will be a fun filled event that will raise lots of money for many local Diabetes events and education. Call your local ADA office for more info.

Meeting This Wednesday Night!!

2005-09-11T18:33:00.000-05:00

Don't Forget! This wednesday night (Sept. 14th) at 6:30pm-7:30pm we will have a suport group meeting in the Diabetes Clinic. I hope you all can make it. We will have child life services available to watch the kids if you need to bring them. See you There!

Support Group Meeting For September

2005-09-01T13:20:00.000-05:00

I want to apologize for the absence of Posts from the last couple of months. As you all know, sometimes life just get so busy any free time you have becomes precious. The end of summer and the beginning of school was a very busy time for me and I had to chose what to let slide. I choose the website. There has been lots going on in the Diabetes community these last couple of months. First of all we have a support group meeting coming up, and I hope you can attend. Second, both ADA and JDRF are starting up organize their fund raising events for October. I will post contact info and details for both, in another posting. I hope all your kids had as good of a time at Lion's Camp as my son Max did. It was his second year and he thought it was a blast! School has started and we are back to the routine. I hope everyone has had a smooth transition and are using the new Diabetes School Bill to help ensure your kids are safe and healthy at school. Know you and your child's rights. If you have questions you can contact you local ISD to find out how they are meeting the new standards of care for Diabetic students. Our next support group meeting will be September 14th at 6:30-7:30 at the Diabetes Clinic at Driscoll. Dr. Ponder is working on getting a great speaker for the group, Mr. Joe Solowiejczyk. He attended the last Diabetes Cruise and would love to come talk with our group. It should be a great presentation. Other topics we will discuss will be the new school bill, Local fund raising events and in light of the tragedy of Katrina, emergency preparations in case of a Hurricane. I hope you all can come. The next meeting will be around Nov/Dec. Just in time for he Holidays. If you would like an email alert when the site has updated info, please send me you email address with the heading "CCPDD updates please!" and I will email you when updates are posted. I appreciate your continued support of visiting my website and will continue to work to keep updating the site with information to help us and our kids.

Thanks
Kim Schmid

Patientinform.org, Free Online Information Resource

2005-07-14T15:28:00.000-05:00

Atlanta, GA, and Alexandria, VA - July 6, 2005 - Three of the nation's leading voluntary health organizations have joined a group of scholarly and medical publishers to launch a pilot program to provide patients, caregivers, and the general public direct access to medical research on some of the most serious diseases and medical conditions. The free online information resource called patientINFORM, will provide consumers with the ability to read the latest original research articles published in medical and scientific journals, find assistance in interpreting the information and access additional materials on the Web sites of participating voluntary health organizations.
ADA InDiabetes Toady July6,2005

Visit Patientinform for more information

Another Promising Break-thru for a Cure????

2005-07-14T15:24:00.000-05:00

Anti-CD3 antibody, or ChAglyCD3
JDRF-funded researchers in Europe found that short-term treatment with a drug called an anti-CD3 antibody can preserve beta cell function in patients with recent onset diabetes for up to 18 months, decreasing the need for insulin and paving the way for better metabolic control of diabetes.

The finding, reported in the New England Journal of Medicine could lead to interventions that delay or reduce the risk of type 1 diabetes and related complications such as eye, nerve, and kidney disease.

"These exciting results provide enormous hope that we can preserve residual beta cell function by modulating the autoimmune attack and in fact change the clinical course of type 1 diabetes," said JDRF Executive Vice President for Research Richard Insel, M.D.

"There is no other current treatment that can actually change the clinical course once the disease has begun. This study shows we are on the right track, and opens the door for researchers to target this treatment specifically to individuals who would receive the most benefit."

Patients receiving the anti-CD3 antibody, or ChAglyCD3, for six days continued to produce their own insulin and needed less sup-plemental insulin to maintain normal blood glucose levels com-pared with patients who received a placebo. This benefit was apparent up through 18 months after the treatment, suggesting the protective effect is lasting--although for how long is not yet known. Moreover, side effects were minor and short-lived, including flu-like symptoms.

The gene, called Roquin
JDRF-funded researchers in Australia have identified a novel gene that regulates the immune system by acting as a backup safety mechanism to keep harmful immune cells in check. If the gene, called Roquin, is mutated, the natural brake on the immune system is removed and autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes can develop.

Discovering this entirely new pathway through which autoimmune disease may occur could open the door to treatment strategies for type 1 diabetes. For example, boosting Roquin's protective effects could make islet transplantation safer or arrest type 1 diabetes in its earliest stage, before islets are destroyed.

To read the rest of each article Subscribe to recieve JDRF Research E-Newsletter send email to: info@jdrf.org Please include "Subscribe Research E-Newsletter" in the subject line

New Drug Slows Type 1 Diabetes

2005-06-30T14:55:00.000-05:00

An experimental drug slows the course of type 1, or juvenile, diabetes and one day might prevent it altogether, researchers say.

A study in today's New England Journal of Medicine involved 80 patients recently diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, a form of the disease in which patients can't make insulin. It usually is diagnosed in children or young adults, and it affects 1million to 2 million Americans.

Researchers in Belgium, Germany, England and France gave half the group infusions for six days of a drug that stops the immune system's destruction of beta cells in the pancreas, which make insulin.

They found that the drug preserved beta cells, so patients needed less supplemental insulin even 18 months after the treatment. Those who got a placebo continued to need increasing amounts of insulin and have fewer functioning beta cells.
Go to ADA E-News Now

Encapsulated Islet Cell Transplants Avoid Host Immune Rejection

2005-06-26T15:04:00.000-05:00

A technology that has been under development for several years -- encapsulating islets cells with polyethylene glycol -- may soon obviate the need for immunosuppression in islet cell transplantation, according to a presentation at the American Diabetes Association's 65th Annual Scientific Sessions in San Diego, California. The net result will be effective control of blood glucose levels in patients with insulin-dependent diabetes without the danger of hypoglycemia or graft rejection, lead presenter Dr. David Scharp told Reuters Health. Dr. Scharp is chief scientific officer and executive vice president of research and development at Novocell, Inc. in Irvine California.
Taken from ADA online Diabetes E-News now

Accu-Chek® Multiclix Lancet Device

2005-06-20T13:05:00.000-05:00

San Diego, June 11, 2005 - Today at the American Diabetes Association Scientific Sessions in San Diego, California, Indianapolis-based Roche Diagnostics, a leader in diabetes care products and services, exhibited its new Accu-Chek® Multiclix lancet device. The Accu-Chek Multiclix lancet device is the first lancing device with a patented, preloaded, 6-lancet drum which provides more convenience and improves safety by reducing accidental finger-sticks of handling individual lancets. With no lancets to see or handle, a patented cam-driven design, 11 different depth settings and alternate site testing, the Accu-Chek Multiclix system is the least painful testing option1.

Visit Children with Diabetes website

Help for Families without health insurance

2005-06-20T13:00:00.000-05:00

Families without health insurance can enroll in Together Rx Access
to save money on diabetes supplies, including OneTouch Ultra and
UltraSmart systems and test strips; FreeStyle and Flash systems and
test strips; Precision Xtra systems, blood glucose test strips, and
ketone test strips; and Lantus.
Visit Together RX Access

Recall of Accusure Insulin Syringes 1cc 28 Gauge 1/2 Inch 100's.

2005-06-20T12:57:00.000-05:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- Huntsville, AL -- June 14, 2005 -- Qualitest Pharmaceuticals, Inc., today has issued a voluntary nationwide recall of Accusure Insulin Syringes 1cc, 28 Gauge l/2 Inch, distributed between October 2004 and June 2005. There may be 1cc syringes which are mislabeled as 1/2 cc syringes on the plastic inner wrap holding 10 individual syringes, which could potentially result in confusion by the patient or caregiver, resulting in an incorrect dose or amount being administered.

Visit FDA Recall Press Release

A new Spanish-language Diabetes web site

2005-06-20T12:54:00.000-05:00

Diabetes Informate is a new Spanish-language web site with diabetes
information. See also Celebrities Featured On New Spanish-language
Website Share Experiences With Diabetes.
Visit: Diabetes Informate

Blood Glucose Monitoring for Athletic Competition.

2005-06-20T12:47:00.000-05:00

Sports Corner guide Rick Philbin offers advice on Blood Glucose
Monitoring for Athletic Competition.
Go to Children with Diabetes Web Site

Insulin Cells Persist in Long-standing Diabetes

2005-06-16T17:06:00.000-05:00

15-JUN-2005

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - In type 1 diabetes, which by definition indicates a lack of insulin production, the insulin-producing "beta" cells in the pancreas are thought to be wiped out. However, that may not be exactly the case.

The results of a new study provide some of the first evidence in humans that the pancreas continues to form beta cells even in the setting of long-standing type 1 diabetes, suggesting a possible new treatment strategy.

"The implication is that type 1 diabetes could, theoretically, be cured if we could stop the new insulin-secreting cells being destroyed," Dr. Peter C. Butler from the University of California in Los Angeles told Reuters Health. Butler presented his team's findings at the American Diabetes Association's annual meeting in San Diego.

Type 1 diabetes results when beta cells are mistakenly attacked and destroyed by the body in an autoimmune reaction. Until now, the only hope of reversing the disease seemed to be replacement of beta cells by transplantation.

Butler's team has now shown that, among 42 individuals who had type 1 diabetes for decades -- in some cases up to 60 years -- the majority (88 percent) still had detectable insulin-producing beta cells in their pancreas.

"Most interesting," Butler said, "we note that these cells have a high death rate by autoimmune destruction, implying that there must be ongoing new insulin-producing cells being formed. Therefore, type 1 diabetes may be reversible by targeted inhibition of beta cell destruction."

A lot more work lies ahead before that becomes possible. "What we do not know yet is what rate these calls are being produced or how they are being produced," Butler said. "These questions are currently being actively addressed in studies by our group, funded by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation."

2005 Reuters Health

Stuffed and ready to serve — the 'Staff Sergeant Thompson bear'

2005-06-14T13:39:00.000-05:00

.
Plush and cuddly, “Staff Sergeant Thompson” is going to help raise money for diabetes.

The American Diabetes Association will unveil its newest stuffed teddy bear this week at its annual conference in San Diego. Dressed in desert cammies and sporting an insulin pump, “Staff Sergeant Thompson Bear” is modeled on Sgt. 1st Class Mark Thompson (he was promoted last week — the soldier, not the bear), the 1st Infantry Division career counselor who is diabetic.

The group’s chief executive officer, Lynn Nicholas, pitched the soldier bear idea and invited Thompson to speak at the conference after reading a Stars and Stripes profile of him last fall. She said ADA had sold holiday-themed bears before, but never one modeled on a real person.

“I so often see soldiers in their desert fatigues,” Nicholas said. “I thought it would be nice to have a little bear who served in the Army.”

Thompson has been working with the bear’s designers to make sure the uniform looks right. He also will work in a booth selling the bears, which are $10 apiece. His wife, Beth, and little boy, Kyle, 2, will help him.

“I’m so looking forward to giving one to my son,” Thompson said.

For more information on the soldier and “Staff Sergeant Thompson” — or to purchase the teddy bear — see the American Diabetes Association’s Web site

By Steve Liewer, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Thursday, June 9, 2005

Stem Cell Advances May Make Moral Issue Moot

2005-06-08T09:57:00.000-05:00

The Washington Post online:
Stem Cell Advances May Make Moral Issue Moot

By Rick Weiss

If only human embryonic stem cells could sprout anew from something other than a human embryo. Researchers could harvest them and perhaps harness their great biomedical potential without destroying what some consider to be a budding human life.

But like a low-calorie banana split or the proverbial free lunch, there is no such thing as an embryo-free embryonic stem cell.

Or is there?

In recent months, a number of researchers have begun to assemble intriguing evidence that it is possible to generate embryonic stem cells without having to create or destroy new human embryos.

The research is still young and largely unpublished, and in some cases it is limited to animal cells. Scientists doing the work also emphasize their desire to have continued access to human embryos for now. It is largely by analyzing how nature makes stem cells, deep inside days-old embryos, that these researchers are learning how to make the cells themselves.

Yet the gathering consensus among biologists is that embryonic stem cells are made, not born -- and that embryos are not an essential ingredient. That means that today's heated debates over embryo rights could fade in the aftermath of technical advances allowing scientists to convert ordinary cells into embryonic stem cells.

"That would really get around all the moral and ethical concerns," said James F. Battey, chief of the stem cell task force at the National Institutes of Health. The techniques under study qualify for federal grant support because embryos are not harmed, he noted. And eventually the work could boost the number of stem cell colonies, or lines, available for study by taxpayer-supported researchers.

The transformation of ordinary body cells into extraordinary stem cells is not a matter of alchemy but molecular biology. All human cells, be they stem or otherwise, have the same basic complement of genes. What is different about stem cells -- and what gives them their remarkable capacity to proliferate and morph into whatever kind of cell the body may need -- is the specific pattern of activity of their genes. It is all about which genes are working and which are dormant.

As cells mature during embryonic and fetal development, certain genes in those cells are switched either on or off. Depending on the new pattern of activity, each cell becomes skin, heart muscle, nerve or some other kind of specialized cell.

Now scientists are exploring methods for resetting the genetic switches inside various cells to the positions that will make them embryonic again. Both of the two major approaches now under study use existing embryonic stem cells (widely available from previously destroyed embryos and eligible for study using federal funds) to help ordinary cells become stem cells.

To read the entire article please go to the Washington Post

Diabetes Heroes

2005-05-29T18:13:00.000-05:00

Animas Corporation® and Nicole Johnson Baker want to know all about your diabetes hero!
Who has influenced your life in a positive way?
Who has helped you learn more about diabetes and how to live a healthy life?
Share your stories with us, and at the same time, say thank you to your hero!
Diabetes Heroes is a way to celebrate the extraordinary efforts by individuals that make living with diabetes easier and more bearable. They are the individuals that give us courage, strength and sometime a much needed kick start.

In this nationwide search, we are looking for your heroes - heroes in the medical arena, heroes at home, heroes in the workplace, heroes in our government -- heroes everywhere.

A hero doesn't have to be a famous person, but it does have to be a person full of courage who has an incredible capacity to care and give.

Maybe your hero is a dedicated nurse who helped you conquer your fears about finger sticks and injections.

Maybe your hero is a family member who held your hand during your toughest times and ran to get you juice when you were barely hanging on.

Maybe your hero is an employer who recognized diabetes is serious and decided to support his/her employees by forming a walk team and raising money for the cause.

-or-

Maybe your hero is a person with diabetes doing great things in spite of their condition.

We know there are scores of heroes out there and we can't wait to read your story about yours!
Heroes win $1,000 and other great prizes. Go to Diabetes Heroes to find out more

We have a Diabetes School Bill!!

2005-05-26T17:31:00.000-05:00

Dear Parent's Dealing With Diabetes
I am happy to let you know that the Texas Diabetes Council, upon which I represent JDRF, working with the American Diabetes Association, has been successful in getting school guidelines for public schools passed in the state of Texas. This is the culmination of about 6 years' work, and a great team advocating for our children. This will assure that 2-3 people on each campus will be trained to help diabetic children with diabetes tasks and emergencies. In addition, it requires schools to allow self-management of diabetes throughout the school day, based upon an Individual Health Plan (IHP) which you will work out with the school, based upon the Medical Management Plan (MMP) coming from your child's doctor. So if your child is of appropriate age and skill levels to test and treat himself/herself, and if your doctor sends that message in the MMP, your children (if they so choose and you the parent so choose) can sit at their desk (or in the cafeteria, or on a field trip, etc.) and do a blood sugar test, take insulin or treat a low, without having to take time away from class and call attention to their disease by going to the nurse's office. Of course, this is completely at the parents' discretion, so that they can decide upon what works best for their individual child.

I am thrilled that we have finally gotten this law in place. I know that many of you have had problems with individual schools; this gives teeth to our advocacy for our children. It means that they can do what they have been trained to do from day 1 of their diagnosis--take charge of and take care of their own diabetes.

Please pass the word to others across the state; this is a tremendous step forward for our children, and it took an enormous effort to get there.

My best,
Judy Haley
Vice President for Outreach, JDRF Houston
Vice Chair, Texas Diabetes Council
Vice President/President Elect, TAMR
(who wants a cure sooner rather than later for her two young adults with diabetes)

Patient-Specific Stem Cells Cloned

2005-05-26T12:35:00.000-05:00

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - South Korean scientists who cloned the first human embryo to use for research said on Thursday they have used the same technology to create batches of embryonic stem cells from nine patients.

Their study fulfills one of the basic promises of using cloning technology in stem cell research -- that a piece of skin could be taken from a patient and used to grow the stem cells.

Researchers believe the cells could one day be trained to provide tailored tissue and organ transplants to treat juvenile diabetes, Parkinson's disease and repair severed spinal cords. Unlike so- called adult stem cells, embryonic stem cells have the potential from the beginning to form any cell or tissue in the body. Woo Suk Hwang and colleagues at Seoul National University report their process is much more efficient than they hoped, and yielded 11 stem cell batches, called lines, from six adults and three children with spinal cord injuries, juvenile diabetes and a rare immune disorder.

"This study shows that embryonic stem cells can be derived using nuclear transfer from patients with illness ... regardless of sex or age," Hwang told reporters in a telephone briefing.

"I am amazed at how much they have accomplished in just a year and the amount, the quality and the rigorousness of their evidence," Dr. Gerald Schatten of the University of Pittsburgh, a stem cell expert who reviewed the study, said in a telephone interview.

While the patients whose cells were copied do not stand at this time to benefit, the researchers hope to study the cells to understand their conditions better.

They also say their method may be less controversial than other work with embryonic stem cells because, by their definition, a human embryo was never actually created.

The report, published in the journal Science, is certain to add to the growing U.S. political controversy over the federal funding of embryonic stem cell research.

Opponents say all such work is unethical and should be banned because human life begins at conception and should not be destroyed.

NO HUMAN EMBRYO

Hwang said his method differs from that first used to derive human embryonic stem cells in 1998 and he proposes using a new term for the cloned embryos - a "nuclear transfer construct."

"I think this construct is not an embryo," he said. "There is no fertilization in our process. We use nuclear transfer technology. I can say this result is not an embryo but a nuclear transfer construct."

The sheep Dolly, the first adult mammal cloned, was made using nuclear transfer, in which the nucleus is removed from an egg cell, replaced with the nucleus of the animal or person to be cloned, and then fused. The egg begins dividing as if it had been fertilized and sometimes becomes an embryo.

Cattle, pigs, sheep, cats and other animals have been cloned using this method.

Schatten said when scientists first got stem cells from human embryos in 1998, they broke open the little days-old ball of cells called a blastocyst.

In the current study, he said, they simply laid down the blastocyst in a lab dish filled with human "feeder cells."

David Magnus and Mildred Cho of the Stanford University Center for Biomedical Ethics in California agreed.

"There is no reason ever to believe one of these things could ever become a human being," said Magnus, who with Cho wrote a commentary on the work.

"Even for people that believe that potentiality is the key to personhood, these things, whatever they are, they are not people. Somatic cell nuclear transfer is an ethically better way of producing stem cells than using excess IVF (in vitro fertilization or test-tube baby) embryos."

Schatten said the method could also eventually do away with the need for some animal experiments, which some people also find objectionable and which others say is not always a good way to predict human medical treatments.

Opponents of stem cell research had not had an opportunity to review the paper and could not immediately comment.

2005 Reuters Health

(taken from ADA Diabetes E-news Now May 26,2005)

Latin Food Pyramid Takes on a Spanish Accent

2005-05-26T12:30:00.000-05:00

While the U.S. nutrition and food community was buzzing about the U.S. Department of Agriculture's new food pyramid, unveiled last month in Washington, D.C., participants in an international scientific conference in Mexico City were talking about another food pyramid -- one that has more resonance for Hispanic Americans.

The need to reach out to urbanized Latino families was one of the pivotal themes of the Mexico City conference. Hispanic-Americans, particularly Mexicans in border towns, have higher risks of chronic health problems such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease than the non-Hispanic white population. A major culprit is the abandonment of traditional eating patterns in favor of calorie-laden, American-style processed foods. (taken from ADA interent news letter) To learn more go to summit

First Support Group Meeting

2005-05-24T14:18:00.000-05:00

We are 2 weeks away from Camp Sandcastle Diabetes Summer Camp. If you haven't registered yet there is still time. Contact the local ADA office or call the Driscoll Endocrinology Dept. to register your child for a fun filled Diabetes friendly week of camp. This year we have decided to have our very first support group meeting the last day of camp. Camp Sandcastle reserves Friday morning for parent education session and we decided this would be a great opportunity to kick of the new support group. We are still looking for parents who would be interested in forming the Support Group Parent's Board to help organize and run the support group. Please let me know if you would be interested in helping out. Please plan on attending the meeting on Friday June 10th at Camp Sandcastle and learn what great ideas we have in store for 2005/06.

Protecting Diabetic Students at School

2005-05-14T17:00:00.000-05:00

American Diabetes Association Just Announced:

HB 984 has passed in the Texas House of Representatives!

HB 984/SB 1070, which will permit students to self-manage their diabetes during school as well as require schools that have students with diabetes to train non-medical personnel in how to handle a diabetic emergency, passed the House on Monday, May 10th. If you took action on this when we told you about it, thank you and congratulations on a job well done!
Now it's on to the Senate. You know the issue and you know what's at stake. Contact your state senator and tell him or her that students with diabetes must be safe at school in Texas! Inform your state senator that this bill has already passed the House in Texas, and his or her support helps keep the momentum moving forward.

Tennis Players with Diabetes get Scholarship

2005-05-09T08:39:00.000-05:00

Do You know a child with Diabetes that plays competitive tennis and is between the ages of 14-21? If you do then please have them apply for the Novo Nordisk Donnelly Awards to win a scholarship worth $5000. Billie Jean King established the awards in 1998 to encourage diabetic children to lead an active life and compete in tennis. In addition to the scholarship, the recipients will travel to Philadelphia to receive their awards from Bille jean King at a World Team Tennis match featuring Martina Hingis on July 5, 2005. For more information and to download an application log on to World Tennis Team and click on BJK/WTT Charities. All applications must be received by June 1, 2005 and the winner will be announced by July 1st.

Medtronic Paradigm Link BD Meter Update

2005-04-28T13:13:00.000-05:00

If you are a user of the Medtronic Paradigm Insulin pump model 512/712 and use the paradigm link BD meter, there is a newer version of the meter software available. If your meter and pump were purchased before April 21, 2004, you can receive a new upgraded meter. Contact BD at 1-800-281-4717 to see if your meter needs to be upgraded. You can check the serial number on the back of the meter and if the number after the dash(-) begins with a 3, your meter can be upgraded.

Great Information Sources

2005-04-20T13:11:00.000-05:00

I am often asked where I go to get diabetes information. Some of the sources are obvious. I read the local papers, subscribe to several diabetes magazines, and go online for up to the minute information. But the best information comes from the people I talk to. Parents, Diabetes professionals, ADA and JDRF representatives, and anyone else who can help make our lives easier. This is the reason why we are starting the support group up again. I know each of us feels the pressure to solve all of our diabetes problems ourselves. But we don’t have to. There is no need for each of us to keep reinventing the wheel at each bump in the road. If we can share the wealth of information each of has gained either through experience or research everyone benefits. Please contact me if you’re having problems with your child’s Diabetes care, or if you think you can help someone who may be. I can post your Diabetes tips for others to see, or help connect you to someone who may have the answers your looking for. The Support Group and this website are both committed to helping local Diabetes families make better lives for our kids. Below are several sources of information you may find helpful. The magazine subscriptions to ADA and JDRF are included in your membership when you pay to join.

1. The Children with Diabetes website sends a weekly e-mail newsletter called What's New in Children with Diabetes for visitors to ChildrenWithDiabetes.com. If you would like to subscribe, point your browser to

2. The American Diabetes Association has a monthly magazine called “Diabetes Forecast”. If you would like to subscribe, contact 1-800-806-7801. The member dues are 28$ per year.

3. The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation has a quarterly magazine called “Countdown” and "Countdown for Kids". If you would like to subscribe, contact 1-800-533-CURE (2873).

4. Diabetes Health is another wonderful magazine to read. If you would like to subscribe, call 1-800-488-8468 or visit the website A yearly subscription cost 19.95$.

Other Breaking News in Getting a CURE!

2005-04-20T13:08:00.000-05:00

1. Science is one step closer to an artificial Pancreas!! Researchers are working on closing the Close loop system. Entelos & Diabetech Collaborate on Next-Generation Virtual-Loop
Technology for Type 1 Diabetes.

2. Researcher grows new insulin-secreting beta cells from pancreatic
tissue. Medical News

Stem Cell Update

2005-04-20T12:52:00.000-05:00

The Texas legislation has chosen to delay voting on several bills regarding stem cell research in Texas. The State Affairs Committee has not rescheduled a voting time yet. If you are interested in voicing your opinion on this topic I urge you to contact the following member of the State Affairs Committee now. You are also urged to contact, the Governor, Lt. Governor and Speaker of the House to let them know where you stand on stem cell research in Texas. If you want to learn more about the bills or even stem cell research in general you can visit the following website:
1. The Boston Globe has an online section devoted to the stem cell research debate.

2. TAMR (Texas Advancement for Medical Research) is a Texas agency working to further medical research in Texas

You can send letters or faxes to the following:

To write to State Representatives (this is the address for all Representatives):
The Honorable (full name)Texas House of Representatives
P. O. Box 2910
Austin, TX 78768-2910

The State Affairs Committee members:

Chair: David Swinford (Republican: Dumas/Amarillo)
Phone: 512.463.0470
Fax: 512.463.8003

VChair: Sid Miller (Republican: Stephenville)
Phone: 512.463.0628
Fax: 512.463.3644

Dan Gattis (Republican: Georgetown)
Phone: 512.463.0309
Fax: 512.499.8354

Jessica Farrar (Democrat: Houston)
Phone: 512.463.0620
Fax: 512.463.0894

Jim Keffer (Republican: Eastland)
Phone: 512.463.0656, 800.586.4515
Fax: 512.478.8805

Martha Wong (Republican: Houston)
Phone: 512.463.0389
Fax: 512.463.5896

Mike Villarreal (Democrat: San Antonio)
Phone: 512.463.0532
Fax: 512.463.7675

Trey Martinez Fisher (Democrat: San Antonio)
Phone: 512.463.0616
Fax: 512.463.4873

Byron Cook (Republican: Corsicana)
Phone: 512.463.0730
Fax: 512.463.2506

The Governor, Lt Governor and Speaker of the House:

Honorable Rick Perry
P.O. Box 12428 Austin, TX 78711
Salutation: Dear Governor Perry,

Honorable David Dewhurst
P.O. Box 12068
Austin, TX 78711
Salutation: Dear Lt. Governor Dewhurst,

The Honorable Tom Craddick, Speaker of the House
Texas House of Representatives
P.O. Box 2910
Austin, TX 78768-2910
Salutation: Dear Speaker of the House Craddick,

Recall Alert!

2005-04-20T12:47:00.000-05:00

ONETOUCH
If you are a user of the OneTouch: Ultra(R), OneTouch(R) FastTake(R), InDuo(R), EuroFlash(R), SmartScan(R), and PocketScan(R) Meters you need to be aware of an urgent medical device correction update. (April 12th 2005) This notice is in regards to the meter’s glucose units of measurement. Please visit their website to learn more or you can contact them at Lifescan #866-461-0124 or website

ANIMAS
The animas Corporation is issuing a recall notice on their insulin pump model IR1250. The recall involves the food database software program. If you are currently using this pump please contact Aniams #866-423-4087 or visit their website for instructions.

Dr. Ponder to Receive Award from ADA

2005-04-20T12:45:00.000-05:00

Congratulations Dr. Ponder!! On June 4th 2005 the local chapter of the American Diabetes Association will honor Dr. Stephen Ponder with the Cure Care Commitment Award during their annual “Wishing for a Cure” Spring Gala Fund Raiser. Comedian Richard Jeni will perform this year’s event that includes a reception, dinner, a raffle and a live auction. If you would like to attend this fun filled evening Contact the ADA office @850-8778 to buy tickets

Summer Camps

2005-04-12T20:29:00.000-05:00

Summer is just around the corner and now is the time to start thinking about a Diabetes camp to attend.
Camp Sandcastle is the local Day camp put on by the ADA. If you are interested in attending, contact Janie Bell at the local ADA office # 850-8778 ext. 1709. The camp will be held at the Texas A&M CC Early Childhood Center Building during the week of June 6th. They are already taking applications.
The Texas Lions also hold a week long sleep away camp in Kerrville. The campers must be at least 8yrs old to attend. You can contact any of the local Lion's Chapters to get information, or contact Dr. Ponders office for Applications. This camp will be held during 1 of 2 sessions at the end of July.(July 24-30th or July 31- Aug 6th) You can contact the Camp directly at #830-896-8500.

Both camp require you fill out an application to reserve your place and both require a medical form to be filled out in advance. So make sure you drop the applications off at Dr. Ponder's office before you mail them.
Feel free to contact if you have any questions.

Stem Cell Research Update

2005-04-11T16:32:00.000-05:00

Caller Times Article
In the CC Caller Times Monday April 11th newspaper today, there was a wonderful forum article by our own local Rick Haley about stem cell research. It was perfect timming, because the Texas State Legislation met today to discuss several bills related to stem cell research. We will keep you updated on the results of these hearings. If you are interested in helping lobby for bills related to diabetes please let me know and I will send you the information.

First Blog

2005-04-10T14:19:00.000-05:00

Welcome Corpus Christi Parents!!
This blog will serve as a place to share information related to diabetes events happening in Corpus Christi, Texas. It will also serve as a place to share any informaton relating to Diabetes and the care of our children. I hope you will find this site helpful and informative. The Parents Dealing with Diabetes Support group was develped several years ago and was active for about 2 years before the demands of running the support group became to great and I was unable to continue. The need of having a local support group never went away, so the staff at Driscoll's Endoncrinology Department convinced me to restart the Support Group. I agreed but with a twist. I am going to run the support group through this website. Many families do not have the time to attend a monthly meeting, but still would like to be kept informed of new information and local events. I believe this website will serve that need. We will still have quaterly meetings with the first occuring in June. We will have the meeting during the Camp Sandcastle summercamp to kick of the rekindling of the PDD support group. I am looking for parents who are willing to participate in the planning, organization, and running of the support group meetings to volunteer to be on the PDD Board. Any local Parents that would like to help form the PDD Support Group Board to please contact me by email or through Driscoll Endocrinology dept. Please feel free to contact me or send comments to the website if you have any questions. Also, this is a new experience for me. I have never run a blog before, so be patient as I learn the ropes.