Certain genetic variants predispose patients with diabetes to kidney disease

Health Problems

In an unprecedented scale, researchers have begun to unravel the genetics that may predispose some individuals to develop kidney disease once they have diabetes, independent of the degree of blood sugar control. The findings appear in an upcoming issue of JASN. Many individuals with type 1 diabetes develop kidney disease despite adequate blood sugar control, while others maintain normal kidney […]

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Why screen time can disrupt sleep—scientists uncover how certain retinal cells respond to artificial illumination

Health Problems

For most, the time spent staring at screens—on computers, phones, iPads—constitutes many hours and can often disrupt sleep. Now, Salk Institute researchers have pinpointed how certain cells in the eye process ambient light and reset our internal clocks, the daily cycles of physiological processes known as the circadian rhythm. When these cells are exposed to artificial light late into the […]

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Switching to certain antidiabetic drugs linked to increased risk of major complications

Health Problems

For people with type 2 diabetes, switching to sulfonylurea drugs to control blood sugar levels is associated with an increased risk of complications compared with staying on the drug metformin, finds a study in The BMJ today. As such, the researchers say that continuing metformin when introducing sulfonylureas is safer than switching. Metformin is a “first-line” therapy (the first drug […]

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