EndoBreak: Meet the 'Sugar Sponge'; Alleged Murder by Insulin

Mount Sinai Health System announced Andrea Dunaif, MD -- a top expert in diabetes and women's health -- as the newly appointed chief of the Hilda and J. Lester Gabrilove Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Bone Disease. Dunaif, who is replacing interim chief Derek Leroith, MD, PhD, is leading an international effort to map the genes for polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a leading cause of diabetes in women. She will continue this important research and other work in diabetes and insulin resistance at Mount Sinai.

A recently published retrospective medical record review of patients with diabetic retinopathy reported that diagnostic, therapeutic, and procedure insurance billing codes are accurate and largely in line with the medical records of patients. The researchers suggested that this verification is helpful for future trials, which may obtain patient information directly from insurance billing claim databases. (JAMA Ophthalmology)

A mouse model showed promise with the novel "sugar sponge" -- a lectin-coated polymer vesicle. Tested in mice with type 1 diabetes, the injectable sponge works by absorbing excess glucose when levels are high, and by releasing when glucose levels are low. (Journal of the American Chemical Society)

The American Diabetes Association's 2017 Richard R. Rubin Award will be given to Michael A. Harris, PhD, of Oregon Health and Science University. Harris, who focuses on the behavioral components of diabetes among various populations, will present an accompanying lecture at the ADA's upcoming 77th Scientific Sessions. The title of the lecture is "Your Exclusion, My Inclusion: Treating the Most Challenging in Diabetes." Also at the meeting, Gernot Desoye, PhD, will receive the ADA's 2017 Norbert Freinkel Award, and present an accompanying lecture, "Discovery, Knowledge and Action -- Diabetes in Pregnancy across the Translational Spectrum."

Even among adolescents, a higher BMI is linked to long-term effects on cardiovascular health, according to a new study presented at the European Society of Human Genetics conference. "Our results showed that the causal impact of higher BMI on cardiac output was solely driven by the volume of blood pumped by the left ventricle (stroke volume). This, at least in part, can explain the causal effect of higher BMI on cardiac hypertrophy and higher blood pressure that we observed in all our analyses," said the study's lead author, Kaitlin Wade, PhD, of the University of Bristol, in a press release. (EurekAlert)

Bacteria living in the epithelium of the colon is associated with the development of metabolic disease and type 2 diabetes among humans, a recent study reported. Led by Benoit Chassaing and Andrew Gewirtz, of Georgia State University, the researchers are currently conducting follow-up studies to investigate how to prevent this bacteria development. (Cellular and Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology)

Elizabeth Wettlaufer, an ex-nurse from Canada, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder this week after allegedly killing several elderly patients under her care by injecting them with insulin. (CBS)

Within the greater Houston area, over one third of adolescents between ages 12 to 18 are considered to have an "unhealthy weight," according to a recent survey, while another study found that about 16% of residents in that area do not have access to fresh, healthy foods. In order to address the rising obesity rates in this area, county officials are looking to build more parks, trails, and grocery stores in the current "food desert." (Community Impact)

A small study reported a correlation between the Three Mile Island nuclear accident from 1979 and several cases of thyroid cancer in the Pennsylvania area. The study, which included 44 residents who were present during the meltdown and were exposed to low-dose radiation, developed papillary thyroid cancer around 11 years earlier than the average age of onset. One day after the publication of the study, the nuclear power plant announced it will close in 2019. (Laryngoscope/USA Today)

Even among non-diabetics, hyperglycemia before leg surgery to treat peripheral artery disease was linked to poorer post-surgical outcomes, including increased mortality, infection rates, and rehospitalizations. "I think of most interest was that diabetes alone was not associated with an increase in infection rates, length of stay, or mortality," said the study's lead author, Todd Vogel, MD, of the University of Missouri School of Medicine, in a press release. (Journal of Vascular Surgery)

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