Diabetic Digest - May 9, 2018

Readers:

For all that one has to deal with when living with diabetes, the thing that I have always hated to do is the finger pricks when checking my blood sugar. It's the worst!

I don't think I'm alone here. The majority of people I know with diabetes are in the same boat. Finger pricks can be so painfully annoying, but now they could be a thing of the past.

The University of Bath has developed a "non-invasive, adhesive patch" that could very well eliminate the need for us diabetics to prick our fingers ever again. Sign me up for that!

If you're interested, please read the article I discovered about this pain-free breakthrough.

Regards,
Steve

P.S. Did you miss an issue? You can read every issue from the Gophercentral library of newsletters on our exhaustive archives page. Thousands of issues, all of your favorite publications in chronological order. You can read AND comment. Just click GopherArchives

Comments? Questions? Email Steve



*-- Diabetic News --*
Adhesive patch can test glucose levels without finger prick
Diabetics who frequently and painfully test their glucose levels with finger pricking will rejoice with this news: Researchers have developed a non-invasive, adhesive patch for the process.

Instead of drawing blood by piercing the skin, the process draws glucose from fluid between cells across hair follicles. With a small electric current, the follicles are individually accessed via an array of miniature sensors. The method was tested by researchers on pig skin and with healthy human volunteers.

Scientists at the University of Bath in Britain published their findings Monday in Nature Nanotechnology.

"A non-invasive -- that is, needle-less -- method to monitor blood sugar has proven a difficult goal to attain," Dr. Richard Guy, from the Department of Pharmacy & Pharmacology at Bath, said in a press release. "The closest that has been achieved has required either at least a single-point calibration with a classic 'finger-stick', or the implantation of a pre-calibrated sensor via a single needle insertion. The monitor developed at Bath promises a truly calibration-free approach, an essential contribution in the fight to combat the ever-increasing global incidence of diabetes."

Researchers are working on further refinement of the design to optimize the number of sensors in the array, to demonstrate full functionality over a 24-hour wear period and conducting clinical trials.

"We utilized graphene as one of the components as it brings important advantages: specifically, it is strong, conductive, flexible, and potentially low-cost and environmentally friendly," said Dr. Adelina Ilie, a researcher in Barth's Department of Physics. "Our design can be implemented using high-throughput fabrication techniques like screen printing, which we hope will ultimately support a disposable, widely affordable device."

Aside from avoiding painful finger pricking, lancets and testing strips won't be needed.

This method will help diabetics better manage the disease, as well as those at risk of developing diabetes reduce their risk, the researchers say.

Some advantages of the patch test, according to the researchers, include readings being taken every 10 to 15 minutes over several hours, the patch does not require calibration with a blood sample and an array can operate on a small area over an individual hair follicle.

More than 100 million U.S. adults are now living with diabetes or prediabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That includes 30.3 million Americans - 9.4 percent of the U.S. population - with diabetes.



*-- Diabetic Recipe --*
SURFIN' SPINACH SPIRALS
INGREDIENTS:
3 pkgs. cream cheese
1 pkg frozen chopped spinach
2 cans chopped green chilies
1/4 c. chopped green onions
1 (6 oz.) pkg. chopped ham
Salt, pepper & garlic to taste
1 pkg. tortillas (20 count)

DIRECTIONS:
Thaw and drain spinach. Soften cream cheese. Blend all ingredients together. Spread on tortilla and roll up. Chill until set. Slice tortilla into 1" round pinwheels.

Categories: Appetizers

***
Missed an Issue? Visit the Diabetic Digest Archives