It's "In the News..." a look at the top diabetes stories and headlines of the past seven days. This week: new information about COVID and type 1 in kids, a new way to look for diabetes before symptoms appear, Medtronic may be ready to ship their 7-day infusion set, approved more than a year ago, and more.
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Hello and welcome to Diabetes Connections In the News! I’m Stacey Simms and these are the top diabetes stories and headlines of the past seven days.
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In the news is brought to you by T1D Exchange! T1D Exchange is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving outcomes for the entire T1D population.
https://t1dexchange.org/stacey/
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A pair of studies released within days of one another have produced conflicting reports related to the apparent increase in type 1 diabetes diagnoses following a COVID-19 infection in younger patients. one of the studies suggests a COVID-19 infection was associated with up to a 72% increase in new diagnoses of type 1 diabetes, the second, suggests while overall rates of diagnoses may be elevated, COVID-19 may not be the cause of increased prevalence.
The second group says we need to consider what has happened regarding the spread of viruses such as enteroviruses during the pandemic, and whether there are any other environmental factors, such as sunlight exposure and vitamin D levels, that might have altered during lockdown that might also be relevant.” The group whose findings suggest covid is the link are asking families with any family history of type 1 to watch for symptoms in the year following a child’s Covid diagnosis. Both groups are pushing for more study,
https://www.endocrinologynetwork.com/view/studies-debate-link-between-covid-19-and-increased-type-1-diabetes-diagnoses
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Insulin pricing legislation might get another look this year.. Sens. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and Susan Collins, R-Maine, are working to update a draft bill that would cap consumer copays for insulin in the commercial market and incentivize drugmakers to lower list prices. One of the bill’s provisions capping Medicare copays at $35 a month was enacted as part of the Democrats’ budget bill in August.
The bill would extend the $35 Medicare copay cap to the commercial market. It would also ban health plans from requiring doctors’ approval before prescribing a drug and prohibit manufacturer rebates when drugmakers freeze their list prices at 2021 Medicare net rates.
Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer has repeatedly voiced plans to bring the bill to the floor but the timeline keeps slipping. It’s not expected this would make it in front of lawmakers again until after the midterms.
https://rollcall.com/2022/09/28/lawmakers-eye-lame-duck-for-unfinished-business-on-insulin/
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The Medtronic Extended infusion set (EIS) is the newest insulin pump infusion set from Medtronic and the first and only set that can be worn for twice the wear time!
With the Extended infusion set and reservoir, patients can keep the infusion sites they prefer working longer while also benefiting from the easy insertion process currently available with the MiniMedTM MioTM Advance infusion set (which also means training is a breeze).
The Medtronic Extended Insuion set worn on the arm.
Components of the Medtronic Extended infusion set
We know you're wondering how does this work? The EIS introduces innovative technology that allows for longer wear by mitigating the insulin degradation and preservative loss seen in 2–3-day infusion sets. Specifically, it is designed with tubing that features advanced materials to help reduce insulin preservative loss and maintain insulin flow and stability. It also has a new tubing connector that improves the physical and chemical stability of insulin by filtering out insulin fibrils. Fibrils are strands of destabilized insulin that clump together and can contribute to poor glycemia due to infusion set occlusion and immune response at the infusion site.1 Lastly, the EIS has an improved adhesive patch that extends wear-time and provides comfort, keeping the infusion set in place for up to 7 days. All these elements help to further reduce the burden on the patient.
What if a patient uses more than 300 units of U-100 insulin in a 7-day period? No problem. Patients with increased insulin needs will also be able to benefit from using the Extended infusion set by simply changing their reservoir mid-way through their use of the set. To support these patients, innovative and simple training resources will be made available.
Stay tuned for more details regarding the Medtronic Extended infusion set and reservoir product launch later this year! In the meantime, if you have any questions, please contact your local Medtronic Diabetes representative.
https://www.medtronic.com/us-en/healthcare-professionals/therapies-procedures/diabetes/education/diabetes-digest/extended-infusion-set-and-reservoir.html?fbclid=IwAR0HntZBo0NuYSH_hqPAVHQTJrvkZdXK3-pSooS5UOqPuK_S3-AM8cheYqk
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A possible new way to test for type 1 diabetes way before symptoms.. very early here but new research is trying to pinpoint the start of the auto-immune process. These researchers at Boston University say
"Previous studies have focused on the triggers, genes and proteins that differentiate individuals with T1D from those without diabetes with a focus on the b-cell (b-cells create antibodies) as a target of immune destruction and blood glucose as the main abnormality
Their focus is on metabolic communication as an early instigator with the b-cell as an active participant together with the immune cells," explains corresponding author Barbara Corkey, Ph.D., professor emeritus of medicine and biochemistry at BUSM.
According to Corkey, her research led her to generate the testable hypothesis that the induction of autoimmunity is a consequence of one or more major inflammatory events in susceptible individuals. It’s al ot more complicated than that.. I’ll ink up the research published in the journal Diabetes.
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-09-hypothesis-autoimmunity-patients-diabetes.html
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Hysterectomy is the second most common surgery for women in the United States. About 600,000 hysterectomies — the surgical removal of part or all of a woman’s uterusTrusted Source — are performed in the U.S. each year.
Previous research has linked hysterectomies to an increased risk of cardiovascular diseaseTrusted Source, incident hypertension, and thyroid cancer.
Now, researchers from CHU de Rennes in Renne, France, have discovered a correlation between hysterectomy and increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes, especially among women under 45 years of age.
The research, which has not yet been peer reviewed and published, was recently presented at the 2022 European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) Annual Meeting in Stockholm, Sweden.
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/women-face-increased-risk-of-type-2-diabetes-following-hysterectomy
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Gotta love this creative and possibly very useful question: when bear hibernate, why don’t they get diabetes? They eat tens of thousands of calories a day, balloon in size, then barely move for months.
To answer that question, Washington state University researchers went to work.
To find out how, researchers drew blood serum from six captive grizzly bears—aged between five and 13 years—at the WSU Bear Center, a research facility in Pullman, Washington. They also collected bear fat tissue that they used to grow cell cultures in the lab.
This experiment helped the team narrow down the bears' secret to controlling their insulin: Eight key proteins that seem to have a unique role in bear biology, working either independently or together to regulate insulin during hibernation.
Because humans share most of our genes with bears, understanding the role of these eight proteins could teach scientists more about human insulin resistance, Perry says.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/hibernating-bears-could-hold-a-clue-to-treating-diabetes
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Back to the news in a moment but first..
The T1D Exchange Registry is a research study conducted online over time, designed to foster innovation and improve the lives of people with T1D. The platform is open to both adults and children with T1D living in the U.S. Personal information remains confidential and participation is fully voluntary. Once enrolled, participants will complete annual surveys and have the opportunity to sign up for other studies on specific topics related to T1D. The registry aims to improve knowledge of T1D, accelerate the discovery and development of new treatments and technologies, and generate evidence to support policy or insurance changes that help the T1D community. By sharing opinions, experiences and data, patients can help advance meaningful T1D treatment, care and policy.
The registry is now available on the T1D Exchange website and is simple to navigate, mobile and user-friendly. For more information or to register, go to www.t1dregistry.org/stacey
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Couple of events coming up next week:
Hope you are doing well! I’m reaching out about an upcoming virtual streaming event hosted by Dexcom on Tuesday, Oct. 4 that will feature an exciting OUS (outside the U.S.) announcement from Dexcom leadership and Dexcom Warriors around the globe.
The diabetes community will have access to the event beginning at 8 a.m. BT / 3 a.m. ET / midnight PT on Oct. 4 at DexcomEvent.com.
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Do you want to learn how to think differently about your life with type 1 diabetes?
Click this link to register now! ==> www.reimaginet1d.com
Join Dr. Mark Heyman for the 2nd Annual ReImagine T1D virtual workshop on October 6 from 7:30p - 9:30p Eastern!
ReImagine T1D will challenge you to reimagine what is possible in your life with T1D and give you a roadmap to help them get there. After attending this ReImagine T1D, you'll have practical tools and actionable strategies that will empower you to live a full, flexible life without letting the emotional burden of T1D hold you back.
If you cannot attend the event live a replay will be available, but you MUST register!
Click this link to register now! ==> www.reimaginet1d.com
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On the podcast next week.. I’ll have more about Dexcom’s announcement and you’ll hear about how diabetes communities around the world pivoted during covid to better reach their people. Very cool stories from a recent conference featuring diabetes online and offline communities.
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That’s In the News for this week.. if you like it, please share it! Thanks for joining me! See you back here soon.