National Diabetes Awareness Month - Last Chance to Donate

Every November, the American Diabetes Association encourages the public to learn more about Type 2 diabetes and the risks associated with the disease through National Diabetes Awareness Month. American Diabetes Services, which provides low cost or free diabetic self testing supplies to those with Medicare or qualifying insurance, supported these efforts by continuing to provide online education about this disease.

Don't Forget - Today is the last day your donations can be doubled to the American Diabetes Association. Call today at 1-800-DIABETES (800-342-2383). Your monies will go towards important diabetic research to help find a cure for Type 2 diabetes.

More Warnings on Counterfeit Diabetic Test Strips

FDA Updates its Nationwide Alert on Counterfeit Blood Glucose Test Strips

Last week, FDA issued a nationwide alert on counterfeit One Touch Basic/Profile and One Touch Ultra diabetic test strips. The Oct 23rd announcement provides two additional lot numbers of conterfeit diabetic test strips, along with descriptions of how to identify them.

The new counterfeit diabetic test strips are:

• One Touch Basic®/Profile® lot #2615211
• One Touch Ultra® lot #2691261

The following characteristics may help to identify the counterfeit diabetic test strips:

Counterfeit One Touch Basic/Profile Test Strips, lot number 2615211

• The lot number 2615211 appears on the outer carton and on the inner container (vial).
• The outer carton is written in English.
• The outer carton is labeled as 50-Count One Touch (Basic/Profile) Test Strip packages.
• A picture of a hand appears on the test strip displayed on the outer carton.
• The inner container is labeled as “plasma-calibrated”.

Counterfeit One Touch Ultra Test Strips, lot number 2691261

• The lot number 2691261 appears on the outer carton and on the inner container (vial).
• The outer carton and the inside container (vial) are written in both English and French.
• The outer carton is labeled as 50-Count One Touch Ultra Test Strip packages.
• The bottom of the outer carton does not include an NDC number.

For complete information on how to identify the counterfeit diabetic test strips, please check Lifescan's web site.

Counterfeit Diabetic Test Strips

FDA Issues Nationwide Alert on Counterfeit One Touch Basic/Profile and One Touch Ultra Blood Glucose Test Strips

LifeScan, makers of OneTouch Basic and OneTouch Ultra alerted FDA of the counterfeit diabetic test strips, which resulted in FDA in issuing a nationwide alert. The counterfeit diabetic test strips were distributed to pharmacies and stores nationwide--but primarily in Ohio, New York, Florida, Maryland and Missouri--by Medical Plastic Devices, Inc., Quebec, Canada and Champion Sales, Inc., Brooklyn, N.Y.

The counterfeit diabetic test strips can be identified by the following characteristics:

Counterfeit One Touch Basic/Profile Test Strips

• Lot Numbers 272894A, 2619932 or 2606340
• Multiple Languages- English, Greek and Portuguese text on the outer carton
• Limited to 50-Count One Touch (Basic/Profile) Test Strip packages

Counterfeit One Touch Ultra Test Strips

• Lot Number 2691191
• Multiple Languages- English and French text on the outer carton
• Limited to 50-Count One Touch Ultra Test Strip packages

Diabetics who have the counterfeit diabetic test strips should stop using them, replace them immediately and contact their physician. Consumers with questions may contact the company at 1-866-621-4855.

Transplant cures type 2 diabetic rats and without drugs

Record: Transplant cures type 2 diabetic rats — without drugs

Marc R. Hammerman, M.D. and Sharon A. Rogers have developed a 'cure' for type 2 diabetes. In a recent study, they transplant the cells of pig pancreatic primordia into a strain of rat with a disorder that closely resembles human type 2 diabetes. The cells grow into insulin producers inside the rat without triggering an attack by the rats' immune systems. This cured the rats' diabetes without the risky immune suppression drugs required to prevent rejection in other transplant-based treatments.

"The transplanted primordia not only appropriately regulated blood sugar in the type 2 diabetic rats, they also reduced insulin resistance," Hammerman said. "The rats are cured by pig insulin, which comes from the transplants and can be measured in their circulation. The rats' own insulin-producing cells in the pancreas are atrophied."

More studies need to be done to see if pig pancreatic primordia can be used to treat type 2 diabetes in humans. However if pig pancreatic primordia can prove to be comparably invisible to the human immune system and eliminate the need for need for anti-rejection drugs, they could represent a virtually unlimited source of donor organs to treat human type 2 diabetes.

Defective Diabetic Test Meters Lead to Diabetic Meter Recalls

Defective Diabetic Test Meters Lead to Diabetic Meter Recalls - American Diabetes Services

In the last two years, The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued more than 20 different Class I High Risk recalls for diabetic test meters. Class I recalls are for dangerous or defective products that predictably could cause serious health problems or death.

Many of the recalled diabetic test meters could fail or provide false results, leading to possible mismanagement of diabetes. "Accuracy is the most important feature of diabetic test meters," said Lorne Yaffe, Vice President of American Diabetes Services. "Anyone who is concerned about the reliability of their meter should visit us at http://www.americandiabetes.com or call us at 1-800-933-8085 to see if they qualify for a new, free diabetic test meter delivered directly to their door."

American Diabetes Services carries the newest meters including the Ascensia Contour, FreeStyle glucose meter and the OneTouch Ultra 2. To find out if your diabetic test meters have been recalled, please visit the FDA's website at: http://www.fda.gov/diabetes/index.html

Pomegranate Juice Helps Diabetic Hearts

Pomegranate Helps Diabetic Hearts

Diabetics have increased risk for atherosclerosis, hardening of the arteries, which contributes to coronary heart disease, heart attacks, strokes, and other circulation problems. Atherosclerosis recently published a study where researchers tested the effects of pomegranate juice on atherosclerosis.

"In most juices, sugars are present in free -- and harmful -- forms," says researcher Michael Aviram, of the Technion Faculty of Medicine in Haifa, Israel, in a news release. "In pomegranate juice, however, the sugars are attached to unique antioxidants, which actually make these sugars protective against atherosclerosis."

After three months, researches found that diabetes who drank pomegranate juice had a lower risk of atherosclerosis . In addition, the pomegranate juice appeared to slow the absorption of unhealthy LDL cholesterol LDL cholesterol by immune cells.

Diabetic Foot Care Prevents Medical Complications

The Monitor - Prevention best medicine with diabetic foot care

"I was working in a bowling alley, and my leg swelled up one day," Jose O. Guerra, 57 yr old diabetic states, "I was standing up and walking too much, and I noticed my leg swelled up and got blackish from the knee down. I went to see my family doctor and he told me it had to be amputated because I got gangrene. They amputated it three inches below the left knee."

Guerra's story is one in thousands, because patients with advanced diabetes can develop several conditions and ailments as the disease progresses:

• Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) - (bad circulation) Diabetics can develop clogged or blocked arteries, which means blood has difficulty reaching the body's extremities. Without sufficient amounts of blood, parts of your body's tissue die, leading to infection.
• Neuropathy - (nerve damage) - Diabetics can develop a loss of sensation in their limbs, and when the foot gets damaged it might be overlooked, allowing a more serious infection to occur.

"Nine out of 10 amputations are a result of microtrauma," McAllen podiatrist Javier Cavasos said. "It comes from foot deformations and it comes from repetitive injury."

Even small problems that would not injure a non-diabetic person, such as hammertoe deformities or a long walk, could potentially harm an advanced diabetic, because they can lead to microtrauma like corns, calluses or blisters, which can break down into foot ulcers and become infected. However, diabetic preventative measures to ensure these microtraumas do not occur. Specially fitted diabetic shoes can be custom-fitted with insoles molded to a person's foot, reducing the risk of injury. Using awareness and having the issue treated in its beginning stages rather than when it's at the point that the foot has to be amputated. For more information on diabetic shoes visit American Diabetes Services.

New Diabetic Retinopathy Drug in Clinical Trials

MacuSight Announces FDA Acceptance of IND for Novel Ophthalmic Drug Candidate: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance

United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted the MacuSight's Investigational New Drug (IND) application for its proprietary formulation of sirolimus (rapamycin). The IND covers the compound's development as a treatment for wet age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD) and diabetic macular edema (DME), a manifestation of diabetic retinopathy. MacuSight is in the process of setting up a Phase I clinical trial for diabetic retinopathy for third quarter of 2006.

We are pleased with the rapid progress of our ongoing efforts to develop our proprietary sirolimus drug candidate for the treatment of serious ocular diseases and conditions such as wet AMD and DME," said David A. Weber, Ph.D., MacuSight's president and chief executive officer. "The therapeutic potential for this product is very exciting and we are eager to initiate our Phase I clinical trials."

Sirolimus, originally known as rapamycin, has demonstrated the ability to combat ocular disease and conditions through multiple mechanisms of action including immunosuppressive, anti-angiogenic, anti- migratory, anti-proliferative, anti-fibrotic and anti-permeability activity. MacuSight believes that its sirolimus product may serve as a therapeutic solution.

Vegan Diet may be Better for Diabetics

WebWire - Vegan Diet Tops Traditional Diabetic Diet

George Washington University and the University of Toronto created a research study to compare the diabetic diet recommended by the American Diabetes Association to a traditional vegan diet, free of animal products. The goal was to examine how the diets may reduce the need for drugs in diabetes management, kidney function, cholesterol levels, and weight loss. Of the 99 diabetic participants, half were randomly put on a vegan diet and the other half on the ADA diabetic diet.

After just 22 weeks, positive improvements in both groups were observed, though the vegan diet outscored the ADA diabetic diet in every reported category. The vegan dieters lost almost 50 percent more than the ADA dieters. In addition, LDL (“bad”) cholesterol dropped by 21 percent in the vegan group, compared to just 9 percent in the ADA group.

Type 2 Diabetes Gene Ups Risks by 80 Percent

Type 2 Diabetes Gene Ups Risk by 80 Percent

Massachusetts General Hospital researcher Jose C. Florez, MD, PhD, and colleagues did genetic tests on 3,548 study participants. They looked for TCF7L2 gene variants recently linked to type 2 diabetes. They found that 1 in 10 of those with high blood sugar had two copies of the diabetes genes, and 4 in 10 had one copy. Study participants with two copies of the diabetes gene had an 81 percent increased risk of type 2 diabetes.

However, the study also showed that a person can greatly reduce that risk through diet and lifestyle change. Study participants were able to lower their risk of type 2 diabetes if they lost 5 to 7 percent of their body weight and exercised 30 minutes, five days a week.

"Even the participants at highest genetic risk benefited from healthy lifestyle changes as much as, or perhaps more than, those who did not inherit the variant," Florez said in a news release. "People at risk of diabetes, whether they're overweight, have elevated blood glucose levels, or have this particular gene variant, can benefit greatly by implementing a healthy lifestyle."

Additional diabetic resources:

• Diabetes and Exercise - American Diabetes Services
• Getting Started - Exercise - American Diabetes Association
• Do you qualify for Free Diabetic Testing Supplies from FreedoMed

Diabetic Research Funded by Shopping Website

Diabetic Girl Hopes to Fund Cure Through Her Website: Shop2Cure.com

Allie Beatty, the founder and developer of Shop2Cure.com, has been a type I diabetic for over 20 years. She as created Shop2Cure.com to raise monies to fund these organizations doing diabetic related research:

• American Diabetes Association - mission is to prevent and cure diabetes, and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes. The American Diabetes Association funds research, publishes scientific findings, provides information and other services to people with diabetes, their families, health care professionals and the public and advocates for scientific research and for the rights of people with diabetes.
• Join Lee Now - is the fundraising arm of The Iacocca Foundation. It was developed in response to the discovery made in 2003, when researchers that The Iacocca Foundation had supported for several years made history by reversing and curing type 1 diabetes in mice. The next step is to translate this research to humans, with a price tag of $11.5 million. Join Lee Now has raised over $10 million and the launch of Phase I of clinical trials is $1.5 million shy of potentially curing type I diabetes

Using Shop2Cure.com is as simple as clicking through banner ads that provide coupons, promotions, free shipping or information to hot selling products to shop their affiliates. Shop2Cure.com earns advertising revenues based on the total dollar amount of the purchase. Eighty percent of Shop2Cure.com earnings are donated to nonprofit organizations.

Diabetic Women Need Fracture Prevention Strategy

Diabetic women need fracture prevention strategy - Reuters.com

After 22 years of following women with type 1 or 2 diabetes, researchers detected a statistically significant increased risk of hip fracture amongst diabetic women, creating a need to develop fracture prevention strategies.

The Nurses' Health Study followed 109,983 women aged 34 to 59 years from 1980 to 2002. These women were surveyed about their history and treatment of diabetes and other potential risk factors for hip fracture. During the study 1.2% of the diabetic women fractured a hip in that 22 year period, which shows that hip fractures occur seven times higher in women with type 1 diabetes and almost twice as high in those with type 2 diabetes.

The study also found that the risk of hip fracture increased with insulin treatment. However, the role of insulin in hip fractures is still unclear. Some researchers believe that it my indicate a more severe disease process or insulin may exert negative effects on the bones, but more studies need to be done to figure out the role of insulin in fracture risk.

For more information about diabetes, visit American Diabetes Services.

New Glucose Meter Will Change How Diabetics Monitor Type 2 Diabetes and Nutrition

OneTouch Ultra 2, Monitor Type 2 Diabetes and Nutrition - American Diabetes Services

New OneTouch Ultra 2 Meter introduced by LifeScan is designed to let diabetics monitor their blood sugar levels before and after meals with just a spec of blood to help manage type 2 diabetes and nutrition.

With nearly 9 out of 10 people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes being overweight, this new glucose meter raises awareness on how diabetics' nutrition habits affect their type 2 diabetes. OneTouch Ultra 2 allows diabetics to monitor their blood glucose before and after their meals, averaging together testing results to let diabetics know how their nutrition choices are affecting their type 2 diabetes.

American Diabetes Services will be offering a free OneTouch Ultra 2 Glucose Meter to eligible diabetics. "Lifescan's OneTouch Ultra 2 Meter will revolutionize how diabetics monitor type 2 diabetes and nutrition," states Lorne Yaffe Vice-President of American Diabetes Services, "That's why we're offering a free OneTouch Ultra Meter to all eligible diabetics."

Click here to get more information on OneTouch Ultra 2.

Health Care Accreditation Organization Honors American Diabetes Services with Exemplary Provider Award

Health Care Accreditation Organization Awards One of the Leading Diabetes Suppliers - American Diabetes Services

American Diabetes is proud to announce they were awarded Exemplary Provider(tm) Award. One of the few leading diabetes suppliers to receive recognition from The Compliance Team, a health care accreditation organization that reviews health care providers to ensure they are compliant with current fraud and abuse awareness safeguards, as well as having patient care programs in place to meet customer needs. American Diabetes Services received over 90 percent score on their testing.

"We choose Exemplary Provider(tm) Accreditation because the Compliance Team's validation process was simply the best and most sensible way for us to meet the accreditation requirements of the Medicare Modernization Act. At the same time, we see their accreditation as a quality recognition branding opportunity that highlights our on-going commitment to maintaining the highest levels of patient care excellence to continue to be one of the leading diabetes suppliers," Robert Weinroth, President of American Diabetes Services.

Law Firm Investigates Link Between AstraZeneca's Seroquel and Diabetes

Law Firm Investigates Link Between AstraZeneca's Seroquel and Diabetes

Paul Pennock, head of Weitz & Luxenberg's drug and medical device litigation unit, says, "Weitz & Luxenberg is aggressively investigating the link between Seroquel and diabetes. We have received a flood of inquiries from concerned individuals."

Once heralded as the miracle drug for schizophrenia, Seroquel has recently in the last couple of years has come under scrutiny of the medical community. In 2004, four medical societies named Seroquel as one of six anti-psychotic drugs that are linked with type 2 diabetes complications. Seroquel manufacturers AstraZeneca have been requested by US regulators to include warnings about the risk of elevated blood sugar and diabetes on their US label; however currently their US label for Seroquel does not warn patients and doctors of this known problem and the need to monitor for type 2 diabetes complications.

Seroquel - Defective Drug Information

Women With Type 2 Diabetes at Increased Risk of Colorectal Adenomas

News - Women With Type 2 Diabetes at Increased Risk of Colorectal Adenomas: Presented by DDW

Digestive Diseases Week 2006 (DDW) reported women with type 2 diabetes show higher rates of colorectal adenomas than lean, nondiabetic women. The investigators gathered and evaluated data on 100 women with type 2 diabetes and 500 lean, nondiabetic woman from an outpatient university endoscopy center. The researchers reported that diabetics compared with nondiabetics showed increased rates of any adenoma (37% vs 24%) and advanced adenomas (14% vs 6%).

"We found that type 2 diabetics had up to a 2- to 3-fold increased risk of having any adenoma or advanced adenomas, which are precancerous polyps," said presenter and lead investigator Jill Elwing, MD, gastroenterology fellow, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri. "The most clinically significant impact of this finding is that diabetics should undergo colon-cancer screening because of their increased risk for colon polyps."

Top 5 US Diabetes Treatment Medical Centers

Links to Five Top US Diabetes Treatment Medical Centers

According to About.com, the five most respected diabetes treatment centers in the United States are:

• The Mayo Clinic Diabetes Center - The Mayo Clinic has earned a reputation for solving hard-to-solve medical problems based on more than 100 years of results. The Diabetes Center is just one of many diseases that they treat at their three facilities in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota.
• The Joslin Diabetes Center at Harvard University - Joslin Diabetes Center works with researchers, clinicians and educators in synergy to produce cutting-edge scientific discovery, unique clinical care models and pioneering educational strategies.
• The Diabetes Center at University of California, San Francisco Medical Center - The Diabetes Center at UCSF Medical Center offers a variety of diabetes services to enable the person with diabetes to achieve an independent lifestyle.
• The Naomi Berry Diabetes Center at Columbia University Medical Center - The Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center combines family-oriented patient care and education with world-class diabetes research programs.
• The Diabetes Metabolic Center at Atlanta Medical Center - The Diabetes Metabolic Center at Atlanta Medical Center was established as a comprehensive outpatient treatment program for patients with diabetes. The Center aims to reduce the dangerous affects of the disease by providing a multidisciplinary approach to patient care.

Diabetics with Vision Problems Can Now Get a Free Blood Glucose Meter with Audio Readings

Diabetics with Vision Problems Can Now Get a Free Blood Glucose Meter with Audio Readings - Yahoo! News

Vision problems with diabetes are common, which can cause issues with diabetic monitoring. Prodigy Blood Glucose Meter offers audio readings to help diabetics with vision problems. American Diabetes offers this blood glucose meter for free to diabetics who are eligible through their private insurance and Medicare.

Ascensia Test Strips Reduce Inaccuracies in Diabetic Monitoring

Ascensia Test Strips Reduce Inaccuracies in Diabetic Monitoring - American Diabetes Services

In a recent diabetic monitoring study that compared OneTouch Ultra, FreeStyle glucose meter, and Ascensia CONTOUR, Ascensia CONTOUR glucose meter was found to offer superior accuracy in diabetic monitoring. Ascensia CONTOUR, DEX and BREEZE use no coding Ascensia test strips, which reduces the chances of an improper reading. OneTouch Ultra and FreeStyle glucose meters have to be manually coded every time new test strips are used. If a diabetic patient inputs the wrong code, the diabetic monitoring inaccuracies can be as high as 43%.

American Diabetes Services encourages diabetics to apply for a free Ascensia CONTOUR glucose meter and Ascensia test strips. American Diabetes Services is an approved Medicare provider and we accept most major insurance.