Potential preventative therapy for Type 1 diabetes "Public release date: 29-Apr-2009 [ | E-mail | Share Share ] Contact: Alison Heather a.heather@garvan.org.au 61-043-407-1326 Research Australia Potential preventative therapy for Type 1 diabetes Scientists believe they may have found a preventative therapy for Type 1 diabetes, by making the body's killer immune cells tolerate the insulin-producing cells they would normally attack and destroy, prior to disease onset. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition, where the body attacks its own insulin producing cells. It is very serious, with a sudden and dramatic onset, usually in youth. People with Type 1 diabetes must maintain an insulin-monitoring and insulin-injecting regimen for the rest of their lives. PhD student Eliana Mariño and Dr Shane Grey, from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Sydney, have demonstrated how a particular molecule may be used in future as a preventative therapy. Their findings are published online in the international journal Diabetes. The body's immune cells, or white blood cells, include B cells and T cells. B cells make antibodies and present 'antigens' to T cells, allowing them to recognise, and kill, invaders. In previously published studies about Type 1 diabetes, Mariño and Grey showed that groups of B cells migrate to the pancreas and pancreatic lymph nodes, presenting specific insulin antigen to T cells. In other words, B cells go to the disease site and tell T cells to kill the cells that produce insulin. "Taking that work further, our current study looks at different ways of subduing B cells, and how that affects development of the disease," said Grey. Working with mice that spontaneously develop Type 1 diabetes, Eliana Mariño found that if she blocked BAFF (a hormone that controls survival of B cells) prior to onset, none of the mice developed diabetes. "This is a remarkable finding, as other B cell depletion methods tested elsewhere have just delayed or reduced disease incidence," said Eliana. When B cells were depleted, the regulators of the immune system (a subclass of T cells known as T regulatory cells) rose in numbers. By removing B cells from the picture for a while, it appears you allow T regulatory cells to function as they should, subduing killer T cells and somehow making them tolerant of the insulin producing cells. The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation supported this research. Garvan's Diabetes Vaccine Development Centre (DVDC), the mandate of which is to develop a vaccine for Type 1 Diabetes, is funding further research with the compound. The molecule used by Grey and colleagues to inhibit BAFF is known as BCMA, and is already being used in clinical trials for other autoimmune diseases, such as Sjogren's Syndrome and Lupus. ### ABOUT GARVAN The Garvan Institute of Medical Research was founded in 1963. Initially a research department of St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney, it is now one of Australia's largest medical research institutions with nearly 500 scientists, students and support staff. Garvan's main research programs are: Cancer, Diabetes & Obesity, Immunology and Inflammation, Osteoporosis and Bone Biology, and Neuroscience. The Garvan's mission is to make significant contributions to medical science that will change the directions of science and medicine and have major impacts on human health. The outcome of Garvan's discoveries is the development of better methods of diagnosis, treatment, and ultimately, prevention of disease. The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation is the world's largest not-for-profit supporter of diabetes research, investing more than $130 million in the search to find a cure for type 1 diabetes each year. Type 1 diabetes is a disease which strikes people suddenly, makes them dependent on multiple daily injections of insulin to survive and at risk of devastating health complications like blindness, kidney failure, heart disease and amputation. The mission of JDRF is constant: to find a cure for diabetes and its complications through the support of research. Type 1 diabetes Type 1 (or juvenile) diabetes affects 140,000 Australians and incidence is increasing every year. Typically striking young people, it results in the destruction of insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, leaving the sufferer on a daily regime of painful injections and finger-prick tests. Unlike type 2 diabetes, Type 1 cannot be prevented and is not associated in any way with obesity or lifestyle. While insulin keeps people alive, it is not a cure and does not prevent the onset of the serious disease complications that dramatically shorten life expectancy. Research programs such as the ITP offer the best hope for curing this debilitating condition and minimize the estimated ongoing health burden to the community. DVDC The DVDC is a major joint initiative of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) and the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). It was established in Melbourne in 2003 as a translational research organisation focused on the development of a small number of promising immunotherapies to prevent, delay the progress or ameliorate the effects of type 1 diabetes. It has been positioned to bridge the gap that exists between fundamental research and full-scale clinical product development. In 2007, DVDC transferred its operational headquarters to Garvan, an institute with a strong commitment to leading edge research in both diabetes and autoimmunity and with a focus on identifying opportunities to translate research findings into clinical treatments and/or therapeutic products. DVDC has recently become a public company limited by guarantee with the Garvan Institute of Medical Research as its sole member. MEDIA ENQUIRIES Alison Heather Science Communications Manager Garvan Institute of Medical Research 0434 071 326 OR Lyndal Howison Media and PR Executive Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation 0411 110 717" http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-04/ra-ppt042909.php |
ScienceDaily (Apr. 10, 2009) — Cancer patients who wore acupressure wristbands had much less nausea while receiving radiation treatment, making the bands a safe, low-cost addition to anti-nausea medication, according to a study published in the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management by University of Rochester Medical Center researchers." http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090408145348.htm [Note: Since most vasculitis patients are taking some form of chemotherapy to suppress the immune system, and since they are also sensitive to other medications, this non-medicinal remedy for nausea seems especially appropriate. -JWC] |
Less than one-fifth of pediatricians feel adequately trained to diagnose and treat juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, and 42 percent of them refer these children to pediatric rheumatologists. However, there is a shortage of pediatric rheumatologists, limiting both specialized care for affected children and medical education. More than 40 percent of medical directors of 127 pediatric residency programs in the United States reported that they did not have a pediatric rheumatologist on site. Mayer, Brogan, and Sandborg, Arthritis Rheum 55(6):836-842, 2006 (AHRQ Grant HS13309). |
Newswise Medical News | Treatment for Acid Reflux Does Not Improve Asthma "Newswise — New research suggests that a widely used treatment for persistent acid reflux among asthmatics doesn’t actually improve their quality of life. The finding that as many as one-third of those studied showed no improvement makes a strong case arguing that physicians should change how they currently treat these patients." http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/550832/?sc=rsmn |
Newswise Medical News | Treatment for Acid Reflux Does Not Improve Asthma "Newswise — New research suggests that a widely used treatment for persistent acid reflux among asthmatics doesn’t actually improve their quality of life. The finding that as many as one-third of those studied showed no improvement makes a strong case arguing that physicians should change how they currently treat these patients." http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/550832/?sc=rsmn |
Newswise Medical News | Test Predicts Who Will Develop End-Stage Renal Disease "Newswise — Measuring kidney function by assessing two different factors—glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and urinary albumin levels—helps determine which patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) will develop end-stage renal disease (ESRD), according to a study appearing in the May 2009 issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology (JASN). This combination test could help physicians identify patients at high risk of serious kidney trouble and allow them to intervene at an early stage." http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/550927/ |
Newswise Medical News | Research Could Lead to New Non-Antibiotic Drugs to Counter Hospital Infections "Newswise — Lack of an adequate amount of the mineral phosphate can turn a common bacterium into a killer, according to research to be published in the April 14, 2009, issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The findings could lead to new drugs that would disarm the increasingly antibiotic-resistant pathogen rather than attempting to kill it. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of the most serious hospital-acquired pathogens. A common cause of lung infections, it is also found in the intestinal tract of 20 percent of all Americans and 50 percent of hospitalized patients in the United States. It is one of the hundreds of bacteria that colonize the human intestinal tract, usually causing no apparent harm. It might even be beneficial to its host. Once the host is weakened by an illness, surgical procedure or immunosuppressive drugs, however, P. aeruginosa can cause infection, inflammation, sepsis and death. Why P. aeruginosa can suddenly turn on its host has eluded researchers—until now. Scientists have long known that after an operation or organ surgery, levels of inorganic phosphate fall. The authors of the PNAS paper, led by scientists at the University of Chicago, hypothesized that phosphate depletion in the stressed intestinal tract signals P. aeruginosa to become lethal. " http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/550976/ |
"Serevent, Foradil Inhalers Should Not Be Used Alone, Experts Urge" http://www.webmd.com/asthma/news/20081211/fda-panel-urges-restrictions-on-2-asthma-drugs |
Some children's immune systems are compromised by diseases such as cancer or treatments such as bone marrow transplantation. During 2000, 0.5 percent of hospitalized immunocompromised children developed invasive aspergillosis (IA), the most common fungal infection to strike immunocompromised children. Nearly one in five (18 percent) of the children died in the hospital; children with cancer and IA had a 13.5 percent higher risk of dying in the hospital than children who had cancer but were not infected with IA. Median length of stay was over five times as long for immunocompromised children with IA (16 days) as for children who were not infected with IA (3 days), and their total hospital charges were also five times as high ($49,309 vs. $9,035). Zaoutis, Heydon, Chu, et al., Pediatrics 117:711-716, 2006 (AHRQ Grant HS10399). |
Article Date: 09 Apr 2009 - 0:00 PDTA bipartisan group of panelists on Tuesday at a health care forum agreed that managing and preventing chronic disease is essential to controlling health care costs and is necessary to achieve comprehensive health care reform, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. The forum, sponsored by the advocacy group America's Agenda, featured former HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson and former House Majority Leader Dick Gephardt (D-Mo.). http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/145655.php |
Researchers reviewed 30 studies on the relationship between access to specialty care and insurance coverage and found that children with private insurance have better access to such care than those who have public coverage or no insurance. Although children insured by Medicaid or SCHIP have better access to specialty care than uninsured children, their access to specialists is worse and their specialists are less likely to be board-certified compared with privately insured children. Skinner and Mayer, BMC Health Serv Res 7, 2007; online at www.biomedcentral.com (AHRQ Grant T32 HS00032). |
Researchers surveyed 12,562 parents of children receiving care at 39 hospitals from 1997 through 1999, to gather information about coordination of care, physical comfort, confidence and trust, care continuity, and other aspects of care. They found that even though 51 percent of parents reported that their child had a chronic health problem, most of the parents rated their child's inpatient care as excellent (47 percent) or very good (32 percent). Parents of children in fair or poor health with nonchronic conditions reported the lowest quality of care. Mack, Co, Goldmann, et al., Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 161(9):828-834, 2007 (AHRQ Grant T32 HS00063). |
"This document summarizes recent findings from AHRQ research related to child and adolescent health." http://www.ahrq.gov/research/childfind/ |
Genentech Announces Voluntary Withdrawal of Raptiva from the U.S. Market http://www.gene.com/gene/products/information/immunological/raptiva/ Reposted from Vasculitis-Awareness http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Vasculitis-Awareness |
Although most U.S. children live within an hour's drive of a pediatric subspecialist, such care is less widely available in certain regions and for certain subspecialties. According to this study, the average distance to a subspecialist ranged from 15 miles for neonatology to 78 miles for pediatric sports medicine. Fewer than one-half of hospital referral regions had a provider for 7 of 16 pediatric subspecialties, suggesting that the supply of pediatric subspecialties is inadequate, pediatric subspecialists are distributed inequitably, or the market for pediatric subspecialists exceeds the hospital referral regions. Mayer, Pediatrics 118(6):2313-2321, 2006 (AHRQ Grant HS13309). |