Endocrine Abstracts

The benefits of continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII, insulin pump therapy) in type 1 diabetes, compared to multiple dose insulin injections (MDI), include a reduction in HbA1c, the frequency of all grades of hypoglycaemia, insulin dosage and glycaemic variability, and improved patient satisfaction with therapy and improved quality of life. The evidence base for this is now well established from meta-analyses of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and from clinical o...

Opportunities for applications of nanomedicine in diabetes are numerous. In type 1 diabetes, improved insulin replacement is urgently needed, but transplantation of islet cells is not routine, limited by availability of human islets and immune rejection. Longer survival of transplanted islets might be ensured by nano-encapsulation technologies which protect the islets from early cell death caused by the inflammatory in vivo environment and isolate against later immune r...