Evolutionary theory suggests that traits that expose us to disease should be lost over time, yet diseases such as type 1 diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis seem to be increasingly common.
A new study may have the answers.
Dr Atul Butte and graduate student Erik Corona of Stanford University’s School of Medicine suggest that the same genes that cause disease in modern humans may have had a protective effect in our primitive past.
The genetic variants that cause these ailments may have helped shield our forebears from a bigger killer: infectious diseases. They suggest that these genetic variants were protective against viruses and bacteria, and explain why, for example, type 1 diabetes is protective against enterovirus infection and rheumatoid arthritis against tuberculosis.
Mercury News, 18 August 2010
Local hospital, local burger joint
Dr Richard Savine, consultant diabetologist at the Mayday University Hospital, Croydon, is “battling to save a generation that’s blighted by diabetes” says the Daily Mail. But, next to the hospital’s reception desk is an outlet of the fast food chain Burger King.
While Dr Savine and his team tend to the hospitalised members of Croydon’s 16 000-strong population with diabetes, hospital staff, inpatients and visitors can access high-fat meals in the reception area. Of the total 170 NHS trusts, 40 have rented space to fast food chains, including Burger King and Subway.
Daily Mail, 29 August 2010
Curtains for finger pricks?
Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers may have found a way to test blood glucose without piercing the skin. The prototype device measures blood glucose levels by simply placing a scanner against the skin that contains a Raman spectrometer. The device identifies compounds by measuring how laser light scatters on contact with molecules.
It is hoped that the device may encourage people with diabetes to check their blood glucose more often, giving them better control over their condition.
physicsworld.com, 18 August 2010
MEDIA LITE: A new reason to fetch master’s slippers
Jerry Douthett of Rockford, Michigan, – previously undiagnosed with type 2 diabetes – was allerted to his condition and a serious bone infection when his terrier, Kiko, bit off his big toe while he was passed out drunk in bed.
Dr Marty Becker, a local veterinarian said: “Dogs like to lick open wounds … the high blood sugar could have been a sweet, ambrosial smell to the dog”.
The Grand Rapids Press, 4 August 2010
Attempts to achieve remission, or at least a substantial improvement in glycaemic control, should be the initial focus at type 2 diabetes diagnosis.
9 May 2024