A trial suggests that in patients who are no longer responding to metformin, taking a combination of two newer drugs is safe and yields clinical benefits for at least 2 years.
Insulin helps regulate the amount of glucose circulating in the blood. In type 2 diabetes, the body does not produce enough insulin, its cells no longer respond effectively to the hormone, or both.
In the long term, high blood glucose levels can cause a wide range of debilitating and potentially life threatening complications. These include high blood pressure, damage to organs such as the heart and kidneys, nerve damage, and blindness.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), type 2 diabetes affects more than 30 million individuals in the United States and accounts for 90–95% of all cases of diabetes. Type 2 diabetes used to be called adult-onset diabetes because it mostly affects people over the age of 45. But in recent decades, rates of type 2 diabetes in children, teenagers, and young adults have increased in the U.S.
RESEARCH IDENTIFIES ‘VOLUME CONTROL’ IN BRAIN SUPPORTING LEARNING & MEMORY
A “molecular volume knob” regulating electrical signals in the brain helps with learning and memory, according to a Dartmouth study.
The molecular system controls the width of electrical signals that flow across synapses between neurons.
The finding of the control mechanism, and the identification of the molecule that regulates it, could help researchers in their search for ways to manage neurological disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and epilepsy.
The research describes the first study of how the shapes of electrical signals contribute to the functioning of synapses. “The synapses in our brain are highly dynamic and speak in a range of whispers and shouts,” said Michael Hoppa, an assistant professor of biological sciences at Dartmouth and the research lead. “This finding puts us on a straighter path toward being able to cure stubborn neurological disorders.”
POOR NUTRITION IN SCHOOL YEARS MAY HAVE CREATED 20 CM HEIGHT GAP ACROSS NATIONS
A new global has assessed the height and weight of school-aged children and adolescents across the world.
The study, which used data from 65 million children aged five to 19 years old in 193 countries, revealed that school-aged children’s height and weight, which are indicators of their health and quality of their diet, vary enormously around the world.
