AbleBrains

Type I Diabetes Gene Identified

This is important because once genes like these are identified, the next step is figuring out what makes them faulty... which then leads to a gene therapy to fix the genes allowing for other treatments like stem cell therapy to be highly effective. From New Scientist

Type 1 diabetes may be caused by faulty versions of two genes that usually help the body to fight infection.

Joanna Howson at the Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, UK, and colleagues think that faulty variants of HLA-A and HLA-B lead the immune system to destroy insulin-producing islet cells in the pancreas. Usually, the two genes make components of MHC1 - a protein on the surface of immune cells that helps them tell friend from foe.

Sure enough, the team found that the class of immune cells known to attack islet cells were those activated by MHC1 (Nature, DOI: 10.1038/nature06406). Having both variants may raise someone's risk of developing type 1 diabetes by 50 per cent.

                                                                                                                                                                     

Design/Diabetes Mashup

Most of you know I am a type 1 diabetic and have been so for 35 years.  I wear an insulin pump, drag my glucose monitor around and am waiting for a fantastic combination of continous glucose monitor and continuous insulin delivery system to appear to make mine and millions of other lives easier.

David Armano writes on Adaptive Path's recent Charmr project to design such a device.  Fantastic!!!  This is a project I want to be part of.

Check it out.

On Being A "Sweet" Executive

I don't usually write about my diabetes... but yes, I'm a type I, insulin-dependent diabetic and have been for 35 years this past February.  I've been blessed with relatively good health and prospects for a long life.  But, this week has been a challenge for me.  Typically, my diabetes is under pretty good control.  My Hemoglobin A1C's - a measure of long term control by looking at how much glucose attaches to a hemoglobin molecule,  run between 5.8 and 6.6... most diabetics try to hit a 7.0.  My one fault though is I enjoy a great single malt scotch, a fine red wine or a grey goose martini up, extra olives... its a medical necessity.

The reason the week has been such a challenge is because of the intensity of the schedule...in early, deep all day meetings, dinner out.... home late.  On Monday for instance, I gave a three and a half hour presentation to Hans-Peter Klaey. "HPK" is the president of SAP's SME business.  We walked him thru prototypes which are under development and received a mandate to move forward which is good... I had to test my blood sugar before my presentation.. which was a little high but not bad... like 138... reasonable (80 to 120 mg/ml is considered normal)  but after the session.. my sugar was 274... from all the adrenaline and anxiety it just shot my sugar right up there.  Its the type of  "sacrifice" that diabetics make all the time, trying to manage, work, personal life and diabetes all at once.   Am I at all sorry, no.  Should I have taken a break to test my blood sugar? Yes, but we were on such a huge role.. I didn't want to take any of the wind out of our sales - typically i test 7-10 times a day... What's a sweet executive to do.

As to my other daily activities.. I typically have team members into my office and I find my self testing my blood sugar all the time while we're talking.. which I am sure they found crazy or disconcerting at first but hey, ya gotta do what ya gotta do to stay healthy.  So I got a little blood on the ppt handout I was preparing...I think it improved it! My only other issue related to this are the test strips I use, which are constantly falling out of their container. As a result its pretty easy to see where I've been in the office by looking for fallen test strips... kinda like a diabetic GPS system.

I'll write more on successful strategies for managing diabetes in the work place, if you are interested that is...