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Near-Complete Cure For Diabetes In Two Years?

resistant writes "Researchers at a Toronto hospital have stumbled upon a dramatic treatment for mouse diabetes, with large implications for the treatment of diabetes in humans. From the article: 'The islet inflammation cleared up and the diabetes was gone. Some have remained in that state for as long as four months, with just one injection... They also discovered that their treatments curbed the insulin resistance that is the hallmark of Type 2 diabetes, and that insulin resistance is a major factor in Type 1 diabetes, suggesting the two illnesses are quite similar.'"
Update: 12/17 03:46 GMT by KD : resistant adds that the Cell Journal article is posted as a PDF as well as in plain text.

9 of 271 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Mouse diabetes? by Aladrin · · Score: 3, Informative

    Why? They share most of the same body parts, organs and systems. Everything works the same way as it does in us. We're only a few ticks away on the genetic map. I'd be more surprised if they didn't work like us.

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  2. Re:Yet again, it's always the mice by MrPotatoeHead · · Score: 5, Informative

    ok, ok, i'll do the work for you...

    http://www.cell.com/content/article/abstract?uid=P IIS0092867406014656

    the link to the PDF for the entire article is to the right of the page

  3. Re:Type 1 PETA members probably already dead by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    You mean like the PETA VP, Mary Beth Sweetland, who is a type A diabetic and rationalized "I don't see myself as a hypocrite; I need my life to fight for the rights of animals."

  4. Re:Please...why do they report prematurely? by smart2000 · · Score: 5, Informative

    This isn't a press release about some research conducted over the weekend. If you read the article (I know it is /. tradition to never RTFA), you will see they are talking about their publication in the journal Cell, which is a pretty respected medical journal. The article was written in May, and only published a few days ago. It has been peer reviewed, and your characterization that it is just a scam for fame and fortune is a sad insight into the state of drive-by criticism so prevalent on the internet these days.

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  5. Re:"suggesting the two illnesses are quite similar by Robot+Randy · · Score: 3, Informative

    They are similar in name because of the symptoms, not because of the underlying cause.

    Type 1 Diabetes is caused when the immune system attacks the islet cells in the pancreas. The islet cells are what produce insulin and when they shut down from the attack, your blood sugar levels rise. (Slowly at first, but at more islet cells are killed/incapacitated your glucose levels go steadily higher.) This can lead to circulation problems, blindness, and death among other things if not controled by injections of insulin.

    In Type 2 Diabetics, insulin is still produced, but the body is resistant to it for some reason. (possibly from a person eating too many carbohydrates over a long period of time or because of genetic reasons.) In a lot of cases this can be treated with a diet low in carbohydrates along with regular exercise. Other drugs may be needed in some cases where diet and exercise are not enough. Some doctors suggest a healthy balance of protein along with any carbs you eat.

    Some women can have "Type 3" Diabetes when they are pregnant. I don't have much information on this, but from what I understand it tends to clear up after childbirth in most cases.

    A person can also become diabetic from pancreatic cancer. (But in this case the diabetes is pretty much the least of their worries...)

    You can learn more about the various types of diabetes at http://www.diabetes.org/

  6. Re:"suggesting the two illnesses are quite similar by smart2000 · · Score: 5, Informative
    They are similar in name because of the symptoms, not because of the underlying cause.



    RTFA - part of the big point here is that their research shows that this type of treatment cures BOTH types, indicating that contrary to what is believed, BOTH types have a similar cause, not just similar symptoms.

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  7. Re:Please...why do they report prematurely? by posterlogo · · Score: 3, Informative

    I encourage you to read the primary literature of the study: http://www.cell.com/content/article/fulltext?uid=P IIS0092867406014656&highlight=salter Then your opinion may or may not change, or may or may not have any credibility left. As a trained scientist, I think this is a very remarkable study, far more promising then the stop-gap measures we currently have for diabetes treatment. Let's not make opinions based on headlines.

  8. Re:Insurance In The US by smart2000 · · Score: 3, Informative
    Unfortunately the insurance companies, hospitals and pharmaceutical companies here make too much money on diabetes. They will: A) Never allow the cure to be FDA Approved or B) Just not have it as an 'Approved' treatment and make you pay for it out of pocket Very sad, but very true.

    Again with the conspiracy theories. Take off the damn tin foil. This is already a FDA approved treatment. Just this particular medical application is off-label. And the FDA isn't going to have much say in whether this is approved in Canada where the research is being done.



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    To purchase it is not like spending money but rather it is an investment in the future in a blow against the empire
  9. Re:Please...why do they report prematurely? by Planesdragon · · Score: 3, Informative

    Why don't they let the paramedics break down doors? When my mother was very sick, and couldn't make it to the door, a couple of beefy fire-fighters with pry bars were called in to force an entry. They quickly broke in and evacuated her to a hospital. Those are fire-fighters, whose job it is to break into your home and douse a fire. A police officer could likewise do so, but not an EMT. Because EMTs and paramedics are not peace officers, and are not empowered to act in the name of the law. Most of the time, they're either employees of private companies (some profit, some NFP) that have a contract with the local municipality, or volunteer civilians.

    If you think that the paramedics & EMTs who come when you dial 9-1-1 should be able to break down the door, go find out what the law is in your area. In some states, I suspect they can break down doors. If your state doesn't let them, write to your legislators and governor asking for them to be granted that power.