There he was presented with a Humanitarian Award from non-profit organization Developing Options, which helps improve the lives of young kids with diabetes.

“We just raised A LOT of $ (money) for diabetes tonight,” Ludacris posted on Twitter after the concert. “That (sic) everyone who came out tonight at Nokia Live in L.A. to support a very worthy cause.”

The three-day event included appearances by stars such as R&B singer Ray J, actor Ving Rhames, Tommy “Tiny” Lister and DeSean Jackson of the Philadelphia Eagles as well as the Indianapolis Colts’ Dwight Freeney.

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The Philadelphia Inquirer ran a recent article about a sixth grader with diabetes named Jack McLaughlin, who is locked in a battle with his school over his exercise routine, which he says is necessary to keep his blood sugar under control. Specifically, the Chester County, Pa. boy says that in order to stay alert and healthy he needs to attend a physical education class every day and wants to maintain a routine. The problem is that students have physical education classes just two days a week and music and reading-skills classes the other days of the week. 

Jack’s parents would like the school to allow him to skip music and reading class and attend gym class five days a week. The school said no, claiming that Jack’s health would not be imperiled without the exemption. Instead they suggested he join the school’s intramural sports or walking club to get the exercise he needs. They also said he is allowed to leave class five minutes early to take a longer route to the next class to get extra exercise.

Jack’s mom, Cathy, says the school’s suggestions are unacceptable because they will not allow him to get intensive exercise on a regular daily schedule. So, currently, the issue remains unresolved.

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Specifically, the “cures” in question are bariatric surgery (including gastric bypass) for Type 2 diabetes and Islet transplantation for Type 1 diabetes. Islet transplantation is still experimental and only being performed on people with the most severe form of diabetes. With that surgery, patients are given new islets to replace the ones mistakenly destroyed by the body’s immune system. Islets produce insulin, which is the hormone needed to regulate blood sugar levels in the body. While the success rate with these surgeries is improving, many that undergo the procedures are “cured” only temporarily (months to years). With bariatric surgery, patients are often required to have adjustments made over an extended period of time.

A group of endocrinologists is recommending that people that undergo these procedures to “cure” diabetes should say instead that their diabetes is “in remission.” The reason is because of the nature of diabetes. With diseases like cancer, either you have it or you don’t. Diabetes, however, is measured by the level of sugar in your blood. If it is tightly controlled over a long period of time it should be said to be in remission, they say.

They established guidelines to describe when the disease is in remission. The term ‘partial remission’ should be used to describe when blood sugar levels remain within a certain range for a period of at least a year without the use of drugs or ongoing medical treatment. ‘Complete remission’ is the term to describe when a patient achieves consistent non-diabetic glycemic levels for a full year without drugs or ongoing medical treatment or procedures. Finally, the term ‘prolonged remission’ should be used to describe remission lasting at least five years.

The reason why ‘remission’ is preferable to ‘cure’ is because patients undergoing these types of surgery are at risk for having their diabetes relapse.

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There are currently many new exciting developments currently underway. Amy Tenderich who runs the diabetes blog Diabetes Mine recently ran an update on six new technologies and medicines presented at the Diabetes Technology Society meeting in San Francisco that are currently under development and may or may not eventually hit the market.

To read her review, check out the most recent update at Diabetes Mine.

Here’s a brief overview of what’s brewing:

* Biocon Limited, a top Indian bio tech company, has been developing an insulin tablet that has shown to have a positive effect on both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetics. However, the company is currently looking at the pill’s long-term safety impact.

* Norwegian company LifeCare AS is working on SENCELL, a tiny continuous glucose monitor that is implanted under the skin in the wrist without surgery.

* C8 Medisensors, a San Jose, Ca.-based company is working on a continuous glucose monitor that uses optical technology to measure sugar levels.

* IntelliDx, a Santa Barbara, Ca-based company is working on OPTIMUS, an intravenous line that measures blood sugar levels in real time. The device is designed for use in hospitals.

* University of Toronto researchers developed an experimental Closed-Loop Insulin Delivery Device, which is a step towards creating an artificial pancreas.

* Israel’s OrSense developed a ring that goes on your finger and measures blood sugar levels. The company, which has gained approval for use in Europe, claims the device is as accurate as ‘invasive’ technologies.

Many of these items still need to be tested for safety and long-term accuracy.

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The contest asked people living with the disease to reveal the disease’s impact through either sight, sound, touch, smell or taste. The goal of the contest is to raise awareness about what it feels like to live with the disease every day.

Here is a compilation of the winning submissions (List of winners is below the video)

Winners of the Making Sense of Diabetes contest are:

• Dennis Adair, PA
• Fabiana Couto, Sao Paulo, Brazil
• Patricia Harmon, NJ
• Scott Johnson, MN
• Andrew Jones, CA
• Terry Keelan, CA
• Joseph Nielsen, TX
• George Simmons, CA
• Bill Woods, CT
• Lorraine, CT

The contest was sponsored by the Diabetes Hands Foundation and Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

In addition to asking the company for customer referrals and checking with peers on diabetes blogs and online social networks, Diabetic Care Services suggests checking the retailer’s Better Business Bureau rating. Check the credentials of the retailer you are purchasing from by looking for accreditations. Crooks can design professional looking websites or mock a professional call center.

The group also says to beware of discount prices that seem to be too good to be true. If the prices seem too low you can call the manufacturer to make sure the retailer is authorized to sell the products. If it is not, the retailer may have gotten the supplies from an unknown third party.  

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–Below is the original text for the article “Diabetes, Low Birth Weight Have Common Genetic Variant”

In the past, the correlation between low birth weight and the development of Type 2 diabetes later in life was attributed to malnutrition during pregnancy. However, researchers at the Technische Universitat Munchen and Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen say gene variants that impact insulin metabolism can also have an effect on birth weight, according to an article published by ScienceDaily.

The researchers looked at data of 729 children of mothers with Type 1 diabetes. Children of people with diabetes have a higher risk of diabetes than people who have no familial connection. They examined three gene regions that are known to be more likely to contain alternative genes linked to diabetes and reduced insulin production. The examined these regions to identify a possible link to birth weight.

They found that there was a significant association between two gene variations in HHEX-IDE region related to low birth rate. Researchers say this shows that genetics plays a bigger role than nutrition in the disease.  However, when examining two other regions (CDKAL1 and SLC30A8), researchers found no correlation to birth weight.  Researchers say they need to examine a larger sample of patients in order to draw any positive conclusions from the lack of markers in the last two groups.

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The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) also announced it has launched two short videos in preparation for World Diabetes Day. They are titled “Understand Diabetes, Get Involved” and “Diabetes Blue Circle – Wear & Share” and can be seen below.

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Roddy Dean Pippin, 25, was sentenced to two concurrent four year prison terms for stealing cows, but was released and placed under house arrest about two years ago after questions were raised about the facility’s ability to care for him and his “brittle” Type 1 diabetes.  

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease where the body’s cells mistakenly attack insulin–producing cells in the pancreas. Insulin is a hormone needed by the body to regulate blood sugar levels. Some cases of Type 1 diabetes are more severe than others, according to the American-Statesman article.

Pippin, who has had diabetes since he was 6 years old, says he is scared and hopes he survives the sentence. Supporters say that the last time he was in prison Pippin had to become deathly ill before prison personnel helped him. Pippin says he suffered seizures the last time he was in jail when prison personnel did not provide him with his insulin shots on time or with his special diet. Making matters worse, he says that the guards mistook his convulsions as resisting their direction and forcibly restrained him.    

Pippin, who stole cows, saddles and farm equipment, says he made some bad decisions and turned to crime because he was desperate. He also says that seizures from his diabetes made it impossible for him to hold a regular job after college.

The district attorney said jail officials have made the proper arrangements to provide Pippin with proper case, which includes checking his blood sugar levels every four hours, according to the American-Statesman article.

Pippin, who is petitioning the court to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest, also has a Facebook page, Twitter account, a public relations firm and a music video to help take his case to the American people.

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A recent study examined the glycemic response to banana bread, biscotti, and pasta using whole yellow pea flour in 19 healthy men and women. The glycemic index measures the effect food has on blood sugar. The banana bread and biscotti made with yellow pea flower showed a more favorable response than white bread and biscotti made with the yellow pea flour had a better response than whole wheat flour biscotti. However, pasta made with the flour appeared to produce the same reaction as whole wheat pasta.

Researchers are studying the potential benefits of yellow peas due to their high fiber, protein and antioxidant value.

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