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Greetings!
Hello and welcome to the April edition of Yada Yada. This month's newsletter includes news of progress in trials of the artificial pancreas, and stories and advice for parents of type 1ers. We are also happy to announce that the popular T1DN starter kit has been picked up for use by Diabetes Ireland.
Winter is approaching, so we remind you to think about getting a flu jab, and as always there's quick shot links to interesting posts and discussions on our Reality Check and Munted Pancreas forums.
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Artificial pancreas outpatient trials
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Going back a couple of years and in the April 2010 Yada Yada, we talked about a successful trial of an artificial pancreas. Although progress since then has been slow, we're happy to see that there have been some advances.
The artificial pancreas combines a continuous glucose monitoring system with a pump that delivers both insulin and glucagon based on a computer algorithm (glucagon causes the liver to release glucose to raise blood sugar). The algorithm can be run on a modified smart phone, which is a step forward from older models that used cumbersome laptops.
Previous trials have all been carried out inside hospitals, but that is now being extended to short real-life settings with successful outpatient trials in France and Italy, and Israel. In another step forward, the Food and Drug Administration in the US has recently given approval for an outpatient trial there. These trials are really important to learn how these devices work in the real world and are a step closer to giving the wider community access to this technology.
A successful artificial pancreas would mean not having to constantly calculate insulin requirements for meals. There's still a long way to go before this sees general use, but it's encouraging to think that the constant mental effort required to manage type 1 could be reduced in the near future. |
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*****************Sponsored Announcement*****************
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For more information go to www.accu-chek.com.au/nano
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On becoming 'un-diabetic'
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On our Munted Pancreas forum long-term moderator Bill has written a poignant account about becoming 'un-diabetic' now his type 1 daughter doesn't rely on him to manage her diabetes. It gives a great insight into what it is like as a parent whose child grows up with type 1 and the feelings you deal with as they transition to managing their sugars themselves. "I was once a totally separated external pancreas and monitoring system for Claire... and now, finally, I am completely out of the picture."
For those parents still on the journey, particularly those with teenagers, the Behavioural Diabetes Institute has a Diabetes etiquette for parents of teens brochure.
 The brochure has some great level-headed advice such as "Don't be the food police" and "When my blood sugars are high don't assume I have done something stupid (although I may have)".
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*****************Sponsored Announcement*****************
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For more information go to www.onetouch.com.au
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Type 1 diabetes article series at ABC
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 Tasmanian ABC reporter Damien Larkins was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes as a 16-year-old almost 20 years ago. He has now started a series of articles on the condition as part of his journey to better understand and manage type 1.
The most recent article includes an interview with Renza Scibilia, a blogger and consumer advocate with type 1, about whether you can be a 'bad' diabetic and how the internet, peer support and social media can be important resources for making living with type 1 easier. Other articles have included interviews with a diabetes educator and a dietician and lots of basic, but important, info. The other articles can also be found on the ABC Hobart website: Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4. |
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*****************Sponsored Announcement*****************
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For more information go to www.t1dstars.com
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T1DN supporting Ireland
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 You may already know about the T1DN starter kit, our fabulous resource for adults newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.
Written in 2004, and revised last year, it's now distributed to more than 300 health professionals around Australia to give to their new type 1 patients.
Now, Diabetes Ireland, with encouragement from an enthusiastic volunteer with type 1 who stumbled across the starter kit online, has modified the starter kit for distribution in Ireland. We're excited to see T1DN work being used abroad and glad people with type 1 in Ireland will now have access to the starter kit with info relevant to them.
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*****************Sponsored Announcement*****************
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For more information go to www.accu-chek.com.au/au/ready-to-pump.html
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Type 1 diabetes reversed in mice
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There seems to have been a glut of research about disrupting beta cell destruction (see Yada articles from March, January and last December) and it continues, which is really promising.
 In a lab in Belgium, mice were cured of type 1 diabetes with an oral course of genetically engineered bacteria. The bacteria secreted two drugs that act on the immune system and prevent further destruction of beta cells. The successfully treated mice remained 'cured' even months after treatment.
The treatment didn't make more beta cells, but reactivated beta cells that had stopped producing insulin. This means that this treatment is only effective when beta cells are still present in the pancreas (i.e. haven't already been destroyed).
The low dosage and oral treatment lead to more hopes that this is a potential future treatment for people newly diagnosed with type 1. Unfortunately, there's little chance that this could be effective for people with long-term diabetes.
The full text journal article is available from the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
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******************Sponsored Announcement******************
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 For more information go to www.abbottdiabetescare.com.au
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Flu jab reminder
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 We're heading towards winter and flu season again, so it's an important time to think about getting a flu vaccine to ward off what can be a very nasty virus.
Some employers provide free flu vaccinations for staff, so it may be worth checking if your workplace does this. You may also be able to access a free vaccine from your GP as people with type 1 are covered under the Immunise Australia Program.
Check out an informative article about flu vaccines by Dr Michelle on our website that can help you make an informed choice on whether you should get the vaccine.
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******************Sponsored Announcement******************
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 For more information go to www.accu-chek.com.au
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Quick shots
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Hot topics on the Reality Check online forum include:
On Munted Pancreas, parents of kids with D are discussing:
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Thanks for reading, and don't forget you can always send us your feedback and comments by replying to this email. See you next time!
From everyone at The Type 1 Diabetes Network |
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