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