Stem cell discovery; New comic book

Here are a couple of new items of interest. It never ceases to amaze me
what's going on out there in the world surrounding diabetes. Medical
science around the globe is focusing on the causes and cures, while
seemingly every child experiencing it for the first time is finding a
unique way to channel the experience.

Doctors use patient's own stem cells to treat diabetes

Doctors in Argentina announced a new procedure that improved the
insulin-producing ability of a man with Type II diabetes whose pancreas
had stopped making insulin, the Inter Press Service news agency reported
Jan. 11, 2005.

By extracting stem cells from the man's bone marrow during a 10-minute
procedure and inserting them into his pancreas, doctors induced his
pancreas to start making insulin. While this was no full cure, the man's
condition improved to that of an average Type II diabetes patient,
meaning it can be controlled with diet, exercise and some oral
medications. A long ways from being dependent on insulin injections

Doctors haven't done broader studies nor do they know whether this
method would help those with Type I diabetes. However, they said there
is little risk in the procedure and no apparent negative implications,
other than it just wouldn't work.

Even lacking a large controlled study, doctors said this could open
whole new avenues in diabetes research.
Learn more

Boy creates diabetes comic book
An 11-year-old boy with diabetes in Kansas City, Kan., has created a
comic book called "Omega Boy," to both express his own anger and
frustration with the disease and to educate others about his condition,
according to the Kansas City Star.

Kamaal Washington and his younger brother Macolm, both of whom are rabid
comics fans, teamed up on the effort.

Kamaal said the idea came to him while he was in the hospital after he
was diagnosed. During what I've come to refer to as 'diabetes boot
camp,' Kamaal was given a lot of pamphlets to read to help him
understand what was going on with his body.

The language was difficult, so he decided to make a comic book to put
all that stuff into language that he and other kids could understand.
In the comic, the recently diagnosed boy become so angry he absorbs a
doctor, becomes 'Doctor Diabetes' and launches on a global effort to
give the disease to as many people as possible so they'll understand
what he's going through. The hero, Omega Boy, finally sets him straight.

No wonder Kamaal was a part of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
Children's Congress that goes to Washington to lobby legislators on
issues surrounding the impacts of diabetes. What a well-spoken advocate!

Learn more

Happy 2005!

We've redesigned for 2005!

As you can tell, we have a new look for the new year. We've made every attempt to keep everything where you can find it, but bugs may crop up.

We're very excited about 2005! We hope to keep in contact with you all this year and expand our Web presence. We're also working on new fund-raising opportunities to help Team Shelby reach $10,000 in '05!

2004 was a great year. We raised more than $8,000 for the East Bay Walk to Cure Diabetes, our best fund-raising effort yet.

Individual and group efforts driven by many of you made that happen:

• Nicole, daughter of Lori Fischer of the Solano County Public Defender's office, was inspired by her mom's fund-raising. So, she sat down everyone in her law firm one day, passed out our fund-raising letter and asked everyone to consider donating. She raised over $400! Way to go, Nicole!


• Napa Junction Elementary School stepped up this year with a great poster and hand-signs to show their support for Shelby, a new student at the school.


• Members of the car club Mary Reiley, of the West County Times, is a member of spontaneously donated $10 each over coffee when Mary mentioned her support of Team Shelby.


• Van Nuys Elementary School made Team Shelby the center of a classroom section on health. Shelby's grandma Pam headed up a coin drive and collected more than $500 in change the students donated.

Our fund-raising letter also was selected by the Bay Area JDRF Chapter as an example of an excellent letter. It will become part of the team packets for this year.

We've posted some new material, so spend some time with us.

New in Research

• High Blood Sugar Decreases Classroom Performance
  A temporary rise in blood glucose (sugar) levels in people with both types of diabetes can interfere with their ability to think quickly and solve problems, according to a study in the January issue of Diabetes Care.
  
  Researchers at the University of Virginia Health System (UVHS) found that people who had both type 1 and type 2 diabetes performed poorly on math and verbal tests when they became hyperglycemic, a condition in which blood glucose levels are higher than normal. Symptoms of hyperglycemia include high blood glucose, high levels of sugar in the urine, frequent urination, and increased thirst. Roughly 55 percent of the people in the study showed signs of cognitive slowing or increased errors while hyperglycemic, suggesting that the consequences of hyperglycemia vary among individuals. However, among those whose cognitive performance deteriorated when blood sugar levels rose, the negative effects consistently appeared once levels reached or exceeded a threshold of 15 mmol/l or 270 mg/dl. Learn more



• Pregnancy Can Go Well For Women with Type I Diabetes
  Women with type 1 diabetes who monitor their blood glucose daily both before and during pregnancy have better outcomes, Danish researchers report.
  
  In the largest study to date of pregnant women with type 1 diabetes, Dr. Dorte M. Jensen of Odense University Hospital and colleagues found that only one-third of women said they monitored their blood sugar levels every day around the time they conceived.
  
  Daily monitoring and good overall control of blood glucose levels were associated with a lower likelihood of infant mortality and birth defects. Learn more



• Federal Govt., JDRF Launch Resource for Diabetic Kidney Disease Gene Studies
  The National Institutes of Health (NIH), Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced today the availability of the largest single collection of biosamples and data for research on the genetic causes of kidney disease in type 1 diabetes.
  
  The Genetics of Kidneys in Diabetes (GoKinD) collection has nearly 10,000 DNA, serum, plasma and urine samples, plus genetic and clinical data, from more than 1,700 adults with type 1 diabetes in the United States and Canada. Of those, 818 have had diabetes at least 10 years and have developed kidney disease, a common complication of diabetes. The other 893 have had diabetes at least 15 years but do not have kidney disease. Also in the collection are data and samples from 1,096 parents (548 sets). Learn more

The Latest in News

• Heart drives Illinois legislator's stem-cell convictions
  In the four years since his then-7-year-old daughter Reynolds was diagnosed with type I diabetes, Tom Cross has gotten used to seeing her stick herself with insulin needles a half-dozen times a day.
  
  He's gotten used to the frequent doctor's visits, the strict monitoring of her diet and the constant worries about how the disease might effect her long-term health.
  
  But even after four years, it hasn't gotten any easier.
  
  "As a father, it rips your heart out," said the Oswego Republican, who was elected last month to a second term as House minority leader. "Every time I watch her doing all the things she has to do, it's like getting punched in the stomach." Learn more



• Pittsburgh, Pa., teen a fund-raising phenom
  As part of the local recognition of outstanding local teens, 16-year-old girl recognized for raising $15,125 for her local JDRF walk this year.
  
  She's raised $90,000 so far and hopes to top $100,000 before she leaves for college. Learn more



• Arizona woman seeks living kidney donor
  She was diagnosed with Type I Diabetes at age 6. Since then, she's suffered nearly every complication of the disease: vision impairment, amputation, kidney failure.
  
  Now at age 40, she and her family are seeking a live kidney donor to help save her life.
  
  She offers a cautionary. Her struggle also is a vivid reminder why we watch Shelby so closely and are so determined to cure this disease. Learn more



• College student struggles with diabetes.
  Diabetes is a disease affecting more than 210,000 people under the age of 20, including many students at the University of Alabama. It's a disease that not only cripples a person's health, but also his or her schedule -- a battle for any student.
  
  Class, clubs, homework and jobs are enough to keep any student busy. But some students at the University of Alabama must attempt to manage their school activities in addition to frequent trips to the doctor and interruptions during the day to take medicine regulating diabetes. Learn more