Good morning all, today we have a guest lecturer.
Again, I will happily accept papers they you would like to write. The more detailed and narrow the better, this is a slot for the ‘academic’…are you up for the challenge?
‘Associate Professor’ Calo has graciously taken up the challenge to deliver the a Saturday Lecture so here it is:
Diabetes Type I
A Vaccine Possible?
Overview
Diabetes is a disease that affects how the body uses glucose, or sugar. Glucose comes from the all types of foods we eat and is the source of energy used to fuel our body’s cells. After you eat, the body breaks down food into glucose and other nutrients. They are absorbed into the bloodstream via the gut or gastrointestinal tract. Glucose in the blood rises after a meal which causes the pancreas to make insulin and release it into the bloodstream. The insulin and sugar enter the body’s cells together.
People with diabetes cannot make or respond to insulin properly. Their pancreas is unable to manufacture insulin. Sugar stays in the bloodstream and is unable to enter the body’s cells without insulin. This causes high blood sugar levels in the bloodstream or hyperglycemia. http://www.endocrineweb.com/conditions/diabetes/symptoms-hyperglycemia Blood sugars that are too high and not treated may result in coma and eventual death.
Here are some additional links to Type I Diabetes
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/type-1-diabetes/DS00329
www.culturalhealthsolutions.com/prevent-diabetes/
http://www.jdrf.org/index.cfm?page_id=108036
http://www.endocrineweb.com/conditions/diabetes/normal-regulation-blood-glucose
Here are some quick facts on Diabetes Type I
Causes and Research on of Type I Diabetes
The medical community is not quite sure why some people develop Type I Diabetes but they think it has something to do with genes. A person would then have to be exposed to something else, like a virus, to get Type I Diabetes. Here are some common viruses that are thought to cause Type I Diabetes. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/type-1-diabetes-in-children/DS00931/DSECTION=risk-factors
However, last month researchers discovered a common virus that might be the cause for Type I Diabetes called enterovirus.
a common virus that can cause cold-like symptoms, fever, or diarrhea and may be linked to the development of this disease. A new study published in the journal BMJ provides further evidence that these viruses play a role in Type I Diabetes.
The new study was a meta-analysis, meaning the researchers did not conduct any human trials, but reviewed and compared data from about 5,000 people with Type I Diabetes to draw their conclusions. Based on the data, the researchers concluded that there is a clinically significant association between enterovirus infection and Type I Diabetes.
Here is a telling statistic from one of the sub-articles: In the study, the researchers tested the blood of 112 children, ages 2 to 16, at the time of Type I Diabetes diagnosis to see if their blood contained enteroviral DNA. The researchers found genetic signs of enterovirus infection in 83 percent of the diabetic children, compared with just 7 percent of children without diabetes.
What does this new study mean to Type I Diabetics? Not much, it will not lead to a cure for those already afflicted with it. However, it does identify a likely viral culprit responsible for the disease. And, understanding the role viruses play in people who develop Type I diabetes does produces knowledge that could prevent the disease. Understanding the causes could lead to a vaccine to prevent it from occurring in the first place. And, that would be a good thing.
Background
My niece is a Type I Diabetic. Here is a quick video of her story
