Thank for the Father's Day Shoutout

I was thrilled to be asked by Sanofi's Discuss Diabetes to join in their fathers day series of blog posts. I am privileged be there with some other guys who I an happy to call friends to share a few thoughts on being a diabetes dad.

Knowing the many great dads in the diabetes online community it is an honor to be asked to be one of the guys representing all of us this week. Yesterday they featured my good friend Manny Hernandez. No spoilers other than to say some other great dads are coming later in the week. I know I look forward to hearing from them.

I am sure all of us featured and all the diabetes community dads agree that the real privilege isn't about a day, it is the joy of the 24/7 lifetime fatherhood gig.

Thanks Laura for the invitation to represent the brotherhood of diabetes dads. I hope I do us all proud.

Pennsylvanians: Oppertunity to Support of Safe at School Legislation

Pennsylvanians: Safe at School legislation for diabetes is pending and we have an opportunity to be supportive of it to our legislators.

The ADA has a quick and easy way to reach out. I also suggest sending and individualized communication if possible. Here is a link to ADA's information on the issue. As always vote early and often.


Here is what I wrote:

Students with diabetes most typically are type 1 diabetics. That is the form of diabetes that is an autoimmune disease. They require insulin injections and management, not as the result of life styles but as a result of their bodies no longer making insulin. Injected insulin is a balancing act. Many of the daily school events from physical education to the stress of academic work can and do impact that insulin balance. Kid may need help maintaining that balance.

With two insulin dependent type 1 students, I know first hand that this is a challenge. The clarity of this legislation will make life easier for schools, parents and mostly kids.

Safety for Pennsylvania students with diabetes means making sure schools understand diabetes and create safe environments for students to learn. More than anything schools, all schools public and private need guidance on how to create that safe environment. This legislation provides even handed, wise guidance.

Often schools officials see significant problems in creating that safe environment. The bill you are considering helps create that environment in a cost effective way. It provides for schools to train adults in the school to safely respond to an emergency when a nurse is not available.

In the current time of budget constraints safe at school programs that train adults to respond can help maintain a safe learning environment in a medically, educationally and fiscally sound manner.

FTNW: Animas/Dexcom Vibe gets CE Mark

From the News Wire: Animas Dexcom CGM combo get approved in Europe. Here are the highlights and a link:

Animas® Vibe™, the First Integrated Offering from Animas Corporation and Dexcom, Inc., Receives European CE Mark Approval:

WEST CHESTER, PA, June 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Animas Corporation announced today the receipt of CE Mark approval for Animas® Vibe™, the first and only continuous glucose monitoring (CGM)-enabled insulin pump system with Dexcom G4™ CGM technology.  Animas® Vibe™ brings together the unique features of an Animas® insulin pump and the convenience of Dexcom CGM, which is the only sensor approved for up to seven days of wear. More here.

 

Thanking a Brilliant Star

There is a nice article on Boston.com about people who have lived with type 1 diabetes for a log time. Like half to three quarters of a century. The story is about the things that made them thrive not just survive.

I think that thriving is a great plan. It takes other people to make thrive happen. I encourage you to read the article with an eye towards seeing how others help you thrive. I think about that in the context of this line from the piece, “With the right constellation of proactive activity, you can manage it.’’

Managing it, thriving, require a constellation. A whole bunch of stars. Stars do a lot. They inspire, they can be a point to navigate by and sometimes they just sparkle. They can’t be seen in the bright light of daily activity, they come back out in the quiet of the night.

Certainly individual stars shine bright, moms are key in this article and in most diabetic kid’s lives, yet they are not alone. There is a constellation.

I like to think of all of you as part of our constellation. You are all stars in my eyes and if our respective daily activity prevents me from seeing you shine today, I know calm clear nights are coming to help me see you all.

Thank to each of you for sharing your individual brilliance.




Oh and and bacon too. You know who you are and you are a star. 


LY/MI

FTNW: Continua

FTNW for those who don't know but may care, and that is a small small group I am sure, is From The News Wire. My short hand for stuff that may be of interest.


This one is about the Continua Heath Alliance. It is something I keep an eye on as it may be a source of data standardization.

So for my few fellow geeks, here is a link to the latest state of the Alliance bit from Continua.

Vote Jen

The DOC's own Jen Hanson (See Crazy Cool Canucks) has been selected as a finalist in 2011's Explore Magazine Top 30 Under 30 Outdoor Adventurer Contest!

The winner will be announced next week, and chosen based on the finalist with the most number of votes (facebook likes). Here how to show Jen some of that DOC Love Ya / Mean It vibe:

1. First, 'LIKE' the Explore Facebook Page (found here: www.facebook.com/exploremag)
2. Click on, and 'LIKE' Jen photo (by following this link: http://on.fb.me/jVr5ye )



Do your DOC thing. Vote Jen.

FTNW: Interoperablity

Ran into this blog post today:

Lack of Interoperability Limits Personal Health Solutions

One of the key recommendations is that the buyers of personal health solutions need to understand and value interoperability, and demand it from vendors.

“The project partners share the belief that if Europe wants to reap the full benefit of personal health systems, health stakeholders must understand the benefits of interoperability, and be empowered to demand those systems from vendors”, says Veli Stroetmann, researcher at Empirica. “Only if there are buyers who demand interoperable systems, vendors will bring them to market.”

 I would to have the option of demanding systems instead of systems being demanded by type 1. Veli, I don't think you get it, that kind of influence exists in discretionary markets, where folks can choose not to use products. Type 1 diabetics don't have the option of not choosing a glucose meter.  

FTNW: Medtronic Research

When Medtronic held their social media summit in April one of the topic of conversation was the wealth of data that the CareLink system creates. An obvious question is how is that data studied and is it open to folks outside the big M.?

Today Medtronic with ADA announced such studies. These are anonymous, hippa compliant uses. You can read more at the ADAlink:
http://www.diabetes.org/for-media/2011/Medtronic-Research-Grant-Release-2011.html

FTNW: Pearl Insulin Pump 510k Cleared

New Pump gets 510(k) clearance. From their web site: http://www.asantesolutions.com

Pearl Insulin Pump.  It’s designed to simplify diabetes care for the more than 500,000 people worldwide who use an insulin pump -- or are considering it.  The small and sleek Pearl is the only pump that uses a pre-filled 300-unit insulin cartridge. That’s right . . . no more reservoir filling. No need to handle syringes to fill our pump. No battling pesky air bubbles from filling reservoirs. It’s a simple yet elegant pump solution – Asante Solutions.

I Was Wrong.

I know! Who would think I could be wrong?

(That should get a long list of comments consisting of “Me” and let me just say hi to Tim who will be prominent on that list.)

In addition to all the playing nice in the sand box with JDRF that I reported about in yesterday’s recounting of Scott and Bennet’s excellent JDRF IDDP adventure, we did have some specific questions. I know one of mine was about Amylin and leptin analogs.

As an aside I was not only wrong but also daft, I just finished a class, for which I memorized stuff about leptin but somehow couldn’t associate metreleptin with leptin but enough of my digression about being daft. (Which I am also sure Tim will appreciate.)

Leptin, is hormone produced in fat tissue that plays a key role in regulating metabolism. My text book says it does this "by affecting hunger. As your fat stores increase, leptin signals the brain to decrease your level of hunger and food intake." (Joan Blake, Nutrition and You, 2012, Benjamin Cummings, one hundred bucks but I am not bitter about the price)

Anyway, I made note of JDRF entering into an IDDP project with Amylin last November for  a study of metreleptin. I know that I was confused when Amylin and Takeda announced a suspension of trials of pramlintide/metreleptin. (Pramlintide is marketed by Amylin as SYMLIN® just in case there isn't enough name confusion.)  I was very confused, particularly when I found a JDRF newsletter in the mail that had an article on Amylin a few weeks later.

So here is the straight story. These are two different studies of the same analog, in different groups, for different reasons. The JDRF IDDP is still on.

Let me quote JDRF:

... to follow up on our conversation from last week about the recently halted metreleptin study, which you had asked about.  As we discussed, Amylin and Takeda Pharmaceutical Companies recently suspended clinical activities in an ongoing Phase 2 study examining the safety and effectiveness of an investigational combination therapy using pramlintide and metreleptin for the treatment of obesity. This is a separate trial from the metreleptin study JDRF and Amylin are collaborating on.

They go on to say:

As for the metreleptin study that JDRF and Amylin Pharmaceuticals are partnering on, we, along with The University of Texas Southwestern in Dallas (the institution where the trial is taking place) will continue to monitor trial participants in accordance with the team’s diligent safety monitoring strategy, which has been approved by the university’s Institutional Review Board and FDA.  Additionally, in light of the recent findings with metreleptin in the above-mentioned obesity trial, the team has consulted with the FDA and will continue to as the study proceeds.

So there you have it folk, I was wrong when I thought they were the same investigation. I don't think I wrote anything here about that confusion but I am sure I was confusing none the less. On the plus side, I now know how to get fast answers to questions like, “Hey was that the Amylin study JDRF did an IDDP with?“ when I am reading the news.


There you have it, YDMV - fairly accurate-ish.



p.s. I don't think either of these is the May 10th IDDP on mixing insulin and SYMLIN®.... maybe I better check.