1 - diabetes and its treatment Flashcards

1
Q

negative consequences of diabetes

A

decreases life expectancy

contributes to kidney failure and CV diseases (MI and stroke)

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2
Q

diabetes mellitus type 1

A

hyperglycemia due to insufficient insulin secretion by the pancreas

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3
Q

relative percentages of people with T1 or T2 diabetes

A

10% of people with diabetes are Type 1

90% are T2

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4
Q

monogenic causes of diabetes

A

single gene defects of beta cells

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5
Q

MODY

A

maturity onset diabetes of the young

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6
Q

types of monogenic causes of diabetes

A
MODY (autosomal dominant gene mutation)
neonatal diabetes (e.g. mutation in K+ATP channel)
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7
Q

properties of people with T2 diabetes

A

often older, overweight, commonly genetic cause
thirsty
polyuria
tiredness

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8
Q

lifestyle treatment for T2 diabetes

A

better diet

more exercise

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9
Q

pharmaceutical treatment for T2 diabetes

A

drugs to improve insulin sensitivity
e.g. metformin

drugs to stimulate insulin secretion
e.g. GLP-1 agonist

drugs to promote glucose excretion via kidneys

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10
Q

type 2 diabetes

A

long-term metabolic disorder characterized by high blood sugar, insulin resistance, and relative lack of insulin

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11
Q

type 1 diabetes

A

autoimmune destruction of insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells

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12
Q

signs of T1 diabetes

A

presence of autoantibodies and autoreactive T cells

total loss of beta cells within an islet
alpha cells remain intact

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13
Q

targets of autoreactive T cells in T1 diabetes

A

islet cells or their antigenic constituents

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14
Q

properties of people suffering from type 1 diabetes

A

young
rapid onset
thin/underweight at diagnosis

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15
Q

treatment of T1 diabetes

A

insulin replacement therapy
- injections or pump

monitoring of blood glucose

carbohydrate counting

transplantation of pancreas/islets

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16
Q

biomarkers for diabetes

A

HbA1c
anti-GAD
serum c-peptide

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17
Q

HbA1c testing

A

long-term –> tests average blood glucose over last 2-3 months

high HbA1c –> too much blood glucose

normal range for diabetes = 48 mmol/mol

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18
Q

who gets their HbA1c tested

A

patients that know they have diabetes already

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19
Q

what is HbA1c

A

Haemaglobin A1c
(glycated haemaglobin)

secreted when glucose builds up and sticks to blood vessels

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20
Q

anti-GAD as a diagnostic test

A

presence of anti-GAD identifies someone with T1 diabetes
–> suggestive of autoimmunity

blood test (from the arm) measuring whether the body is producing antibodies targeted to destroy its own GAD cells

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21
Q

what is GAD

A

glutamic acid decarboxylase enzyme

acts as an autoantigen –> stimulates antibodies to be released

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22
Q

which test determines which type of diabetes someone has

A

anti-GAD blood test

serum c-peptide test

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23
Q

what does serum c-peptide test for

A

shows how well the body is making insulin

24
Q

how is serum c-peptide tested

A

blood or urine sample taken

25
Q

what is c-peptide

A

released by beta cells when they make insulin

proinsulin + c-peptide = insulin

26
Q

why is c-peptide a good biomarker for insulin production

A

C-peptide and insulin are present in pancreatic beta cells in equal amounts

C-peptide remains in your blood for approximately 5 times as long as insulin, and is therefore present in your blood at approximately 5 times the concentration

27
Q

normal serum c-peptide range

A

0.5-2.0 ng/ml

28
Q

what c-peptide results would indicate T1 diabetes

A

low serum c-peptide levels and high blood glucose

29
Q

what c-peptide results would indicate T2 diabetes

A

high serum c-peptide levels and low blood glucose levels

30
Q

most common mutation causing MODY

A

glucokinase mutation

MODY 2

31
Q

alternative mutation causing MODY

A

HNFa mutation
(hepatocyte nuclear factor)

(MODY 1 and 3)

32
Q

which type of diabetes is associated with insulin resistance

A

type 2

33
Q

method and advantages of most common method of insulin delivery

A

insulin pen

insulin injected into subcutaneous tissue

little pain, easy, accurate therefore good for kids

34
Q

disadvantages of insulin pen

A

exPENsive

not all insulin types available

35
Q

alternative methods of insulin delivery

A

implantable insulin pump
external insulin pump
‘smart insulin’
insulin inhaler

36
Q

methods of blood glucose monitoring

A

finger pricks (most common)
non-invasive monitoring (measures interstitial fluid)
flash glucose monitor (scan small white disk)
continuous glucose monitor

37
Q

what is an artificial pancreas

A

system that measures blood sugar levels using a continuous glucose monitor (CGM)

transmits information to an insulin pump that calculates and releases the required amount of insulin into the body

38
Q

benefits and disadvantages of artificial pancreas

A

no immunosuppressants required
little risk of infection

hard to connect glucose monitor to insulin pump

39
Q

2 methods of beta cell replacement therapy

A

regeneration of remaining beta cells

islet transplants

40
Q

process of regeneration of beta cells

A

some T1 diabetes patients still have detectable levels of c-peptide
chemicals can be used to enhance proliferation of beta cells
(transdifferentiation)

41
Q

advantages and disadvantages of islet transplants

A

+
effective treatment –>reduces hypoglycaemic events

-
potential immune rejection
injecting islets into the liver can cause clots
insulin dependence may not last that long –> requires repeats

42
Q

what is iPS cell treatment

A

induced pluripotent stem cell treatment

reverts cells back to stem cells so specialised cells can then be derived from them

43
Q

advantages and disadvantages of iPS cell treatments

A

+
don’t need an embryo
fewer ethical issues

-
expensive

44
Q

what is ES cell-based generation

A

embryonic stem cell-based generation

hijacking normally occurring differentiation pathways and replicating them in culture to produce specific specialised cells

45
Q

how does ES cell-based generation work

A

replicate differentiation pathways of embryo from endoderm stage into mature pancreatic tissue

transcription factors change at every stage of differentiation therefore can be used as markers of specific stage

46
Q

disadvantages of embryonic stem cell-based generation

A

difficult to generate fully functional cells in vivo

ethical issues from source of cells

47
Q

transdifferentiation in mice

A

inject specific transcription factors to convert liver cells to beta cells or alpha cells to beta cells

48
Q

importance of changing properties of insulin

A

changes the rate of absorption

49
Q

properties of naturally occurring insulin

A

stored in the pancreas in tetramer crystals

tetramers broken up into monomers

50
Q

rapid acting insulin

A

usually taken straight before a meal
peaks after 1 hour

often used with long-acting insulin

51
Q

short-acting insulin

A

taken 30 mins before a meal
peaks after 2-3 hours

often used with long-acting insulin

52
Q

intermediate acting insulin

A

covers glucose elevations when rapid-acting stops working

peaks after 4-12 hours

53
Q

long-acting insulin

A

sustained basal insulin rate throughout day
can lower glucose levels for 24 hours

taken before bed

54
Q

artificial pancreas is an example of …

A

a closed loop insulin delivery system

55
Q

where does the artificial pancreas get its name?

A

it monitors and adjusts insulin levels just as the pancreas does in people without diabetes.

56
Q

evidence that the artificial pancreas is effective

A

People using the system spent 14% more time with their glucose levels in the ideal range, compared to people using standard insulin therapy

They also had lower average overnight blood glucose levels without increasing hypos.