The Rusing family of Tucson, Arizona, run a remarkably successful lemonade stand. The stand began as a way to keep the kids occupied, but turned into a bit of a money maker. It's been so successful, in fact, that it's now in the running for the title of Best Lemonade Stand in America. Yes! There is such a thing. Cute, huh?

The Rusings donate the proceeds from the stand to diabetes research. The stand is named "The Mighty Quinns" for Quinn Rusing. Quinn, who is four-years-old, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age three. He helps run the lemonade stand, along with mom, Carolyn, and six-year-old twin sisters, Cali and Olivia. The secret to their success appears to be the free cookies. That's right. Free Famous Amos cookies with each 25-cent glass of lemonade purchased.

Spot anything odd about this story? Lemonade stand with free cookies as a diabetes fundraiser?? Um, what about all that sugar?! I spotted this story about the Rusings on the Tucson Citizen website. Another reader has posted this comment: "With 60 grams of sugars in a 12 ounce glass, the shareholders of Bristol-Myers-Squibb and Merck are gonna be in real good shape."

Scientists from all over the world will meet up in Seattle October 22-23 to attend the Warren G. Magnuson Congress for a Global Diabetes Alliance. The initiative is intended to help fight the rapid rise of type 2 diabetes worldwide. International Diabetes Federation past president Pierre Lefebvre, who will be a speaker at the conference, says the need for such an alliance to fight the T2 global epidemic "could not be more urgent."

More than one hundred diabetes experts hailing from over twenty countries will attend the congress. There's one main goal: the discussion of how to help under-served populations, such as indigenous peoples. However, the more general problems - prevention, treatment and the possibility of a cure - will also be on the table. It is also hoped that the alliance can help change public perception of type 2 diabetes as a disease associated with affluence, when in fact it is spreading faster in poor, developing countries where people frequently lack access to medical care.

Organizers say this is the first global alliance on diabetes. Speaking of organizers: who's behind this anyway? Well, it's being convened by the Pacific Northwest Research Institute (PNRI). Incoming president of the American Diabetes Association, Dr. Paul Robertson, is president and scientific director of the PNRI. Warren G. Magnuson, for whom the conference is named, was a US senator and supporter of the sciences who died from diabetes complications in 1989.

The ADA and PNRI's Dr. Robertson is optimistic the organization can effect change: "The response from top experts from around the world to develop a global, multidisciplinary, collaborative endeavor focused on clinical research on diabetes has been overwhelming."

Indignation, frustration. It's all growing stronger amongst diabetics over the fact that most people don't understand this basic fact: type 1 and type 2 diabetes are two very different conditions. When, oh when (or ever?), will we get more appropriate names.

"Type 1" and "type 2" are so meaningless to most non-diabetics and probably to a lot of type 2 diabetics as well. "Juvenile" or "childhood onset" are, these days, likewise, quite meaningless when so many kids are getting T2DM due to atrocious lifestyle/eating habits.

A recent editorial caught my eye. I want to share, because I think it's a good example of how the media helps add to this ignorance when journalists fail to make a distinction between T1 and T2. "In our view: Targeting Diabetes," was published August 16 in The Columbian of Vancouver, WA. "Diabetes is everywhere...Diabetes lasts a lifetime," it reads, "and there is no cure, even though steps involving diet and exercise can lower many risks." Not true! It goes on to say, "With generous gifts and more education, fewer of us will get the disease." Again, not true! You and I know that statement does not apply to T1s. But I'll wager an overwhelming majority of non-diabetic and T2 diabetic readers would not bat an eye at such a comment.

Diabetic and want to help educate people? Long-term, we need new names! Short-term, public education will help. Here's a start: hit the link above to this Columbian editorial and post a comment!

Speaking of kids with T1DM, (click here for previous kid-related post) I was just browsing around Amazon's selections of books for parents of type 1 children. There are, of course, a bunch of books on the market. Maybe not quite as many as I'd expected though. (Perhaps T1 parents turn to the web for support these days?) Anyway, there were some clear favorites amongst readers. But be prepared. To get to the good stuff, you will have to sift through tons of Diabetes Cured-Overnight!-style "self-help" manuals.

A current bestseller seems to be The Everything Parent's Guide to Children with Juvenile Diabetes by Moira McCarthy and Jake Kushner. Bonus: it's part of the "Everything Guide" series of books, so it's packed with info, yet reasonably priced. A good buy. Having said that, there are tons of other general guides, like this one by physician Ragnar Hanas and this one by Victoria Peurrung.

I'm intrigued by this one: Growing Up with Diabetes: What Children Want their Parents to Know by Alicia McAuliffe. And here's one that got some very positive customer reviews: Real Life Parenting of Kids With Diabetes by Virginia Nasmyth Loy. I'm noticing a few specialty-topics popping up too. Example? Getting the Most out of Diabetes Camp. This book is all about..., um, diabetes camp. (File this book under "For parents who over-prepare!" LOL) Your kids grown up into teens? Never fear, there are books for parents of big kids too.

Best title, hands down? Janette Kirkham's Don't Put Test Strips in Christmas Stockings: And Other Ideas for Parents of Children with Diabetes. This book was published back in 2002 and it looks a little tougher to get a hold of.

Juice manufacturer Old Orchard Brands is expanding its financial support for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). A press release issued by the company announced intentions to give up to one million dollars in new funding. The company hopes to raise money for the JDRF with its Healthy Balance Challenge, in which twenty cents from each sale of Old Orchard Brands Healthy Balance line of low-sugar fruit juices will be donated to the JDRF.

The JDRF accepted Old Orchard's support last year and, according to Old Orchard, the company has pledged $650,000 worth of cash and product donations through 2009. Money raised through the Healthy Balance Challenge will be in addition to that sum. Arnold Donald, CEO of the JDRF, says partners such as Old Orchard Brands "care deeply about the work we do in researching a cure for type 1 diabetes. They continue to support our organization with innovative retail-driven programs that increase funding for research, and that's a rare and valuable partner to have."

You could also say that every dollar in support for the JDRF equals good publicity and increased sales for Old Orchard. Of course, I would never be so cynical.

Seriously, you'd have to have a heart of pure stone not to be moved by this YouTube video called "Hope is in a Cure." To a fairly sappy soundtrack (okay, okay I'm not a Mariah Carey fan), we see a photo slideshow unfold, telling the story of one little girl's daily experiences with type 1 diabetes. The power of this piece is in its simplicity: a series of one family's snapshots illustrates perfectly what these brave kids go through and the sacrifices the whole family must make when type 1 enters a child's life. Not to mention the agony the moms and dads go through. That is something I can only imagine - and hope I never have to experience myself.

There's a heartbreaker of a shot in here of the little girl asleep, hands tucked daintily and securely under her pillow, asleep and in one sense relaxed, yet on guard against the next skin prick she knows will eventually come.

"Hope is in a Cure" was posted by Lisa of Londonderry, New Hampshire. I don't know who made it. Check it out today. Better yet, send the link to a few people you know. Too few people understand what "type 1 families" live with day-to-day. Let people know that diabetes never takes a vacation and never sleeps. And let them know the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation needs our support - you can start by supporting the upcoming Walk to Cure Diabetes.

Yes, the title conjures up images of a futuristic world in which diabetics puff their way back to health. "New! Insulin Cigarettes!" In fact, it's rather more innocuous than that: scientists have engineered a type of insulin-containing tobacco plant that could - in theory, at least - be used as a diabetes treatment.

A study has just been completed of its use. Once freeze-dried and broken down into powder, the insulin-containing tobacco leaves were administered to mice. The scientists who came up with the plant (and who are based at the University of Central Florida), found the powder successfully prevented diabetes symptoms in the mice after eight weeks. It seems pretty safe to assume, they speculate, that humans with type 1 diabetes could get similar results from ingesting plant-based insulin.

The only snag so far is the image problem associated with tobacco. As a result, lead researcher Henry Daniell, is proposing a switch to lettuce, which is cheap, easy to grow and - oh, yeah! - is not associated with cancer. Good move.

The results of this study appear in the Plant Biotechnology Journal (July 2007).

A new study, a report of which has been published in Nature, has identified gene flaws that increase the risk for type 1 diabetes in children. By examining the genetic codes of thousands of children, some with and some without diabetes, as well as those of parents of diabetics, the researchers identified three changes on one specific gene present in those with diabetes. They then looked at 1600 additional diabetes patients' genetic codes and again found the very same marks, sometimes called "flavors" or "flaws." Two of these variations increase a person's odds of developing diabetes by fifty percent, say the researchers. However, the third seems to decrease risk for the disease.

Type 1, says lead author Hakon Hakonarson, is a complex genetic disorder "involving mutations in several genes acting in concert to predispose someone to the condition." Important? Very. Best case scenario: understanding how these genes operate is the kind of knowledge that could lead to a cure. At the very least, such knowledge could help medical caregivers identify at-risk children - a step that could eventually precede the standard diagnosis procedure as we know it today.

Click here for more details about this study.

Bad headline for the week: "Does Diabetes Have a Canine Cure?" This, from the Lincolnshire Echo in the UK. Well, no. Of course dogs can't cure diabetes! However, they can do more than just roll their lovable brown eyes at you. Specifically, dogs can be trained to detect building hypoglycemic episodes caused by perilously low blood sugar levels. Dogs that have received such training will then try and sound the alert in various ways like pawing and whining, or pouring you a glass of orange juice (joke). Heck, I think there was even one dog that was trained to dial 911 for his owner, and saved the guy from going into a coma, might I add.

This is what this Echo article is really all about. Professors and students at the University of Lincoln have set out to examine the use of dogs to predict hypos. The study is being run in conjunction with Queen's University in Belfast, and has received funding from Diabetes UK. Says research team member Dr. Niro Siriwardena, "We are not yet sure whether dogs detect this [hypos] by smell or because they are much more adept than humans in detecting change. That is something we are looking into."

Stay tuned for details when this study is complete. "Dog people" like myself will be excited to hear what they discover. Wouldn't you like to know what enables dogs to be so super-sensitive? And doesn't it make you wonder: if dogs can detect something like low blood sugar, what else are they noticing about us as we go (obliviously) about our daily lives?

In December 2006, The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada (SickKids) researchers found that mice injected with capsaicin -- the chemical that makes chili peppers hot -- were rapidly cured of Type 1 diabetes. Now with widespread credence following their discovery, SickKids has partnered with Approach Therapeutics to accelerate the human clinical trials for this cure.

Researchers discovered that Type 1 diabetes is caused by malfunctioning pain nerves surrounding islets. These nerves mistakenly tell the brain that the islets are inflamed and the body creates insulin autoantibodies to destroy them. The researchers injected capsaicin, also known as "substance P", to kill the pancreatic pain nerves. Researchers observed that the injected mice's islet cells began producing insulin normally almost immediately. The nerve cells secrete neuropeptides that tell the islets to release insulin. The nerves weren't secreting enough neuropeptides, causing inflammation resulting in insulin autoantibodies that caused Type 1 diabetes. The researchers also found that the treatments helped curb the insulin resistance that causes Type 2 diabetes.

Thanks to SickKids and Approach Therapeutics for the promising news. Looks like the cure for diabetes could come from a land where universal healthcare lives.

Circumstances of confusion invalidated a Diamyd clinical trial to protect insulin-producing cells in diabetes patients. This confusion amounts to a speed bump, but Diamyd intends to press on.

The company admitted that the Phase II clinical trial of its gene therapy had been botched following a mix up over which patients received the drug and which got placebo. Diamyd is a vaccine based on GAD65, a major factor for diabetes due to an autoimmune reaction. The company designed the vaccine to reduce the need of insulin injections and prevent the destruction of beta cells that produce insulin in the pancreas. Also, by protecting these cells, it may allow them to regenerate in a non-autoimmune environment, and possibly set the stage for a cure of the disease.

Anders Essen-Möller, CEO of Diamyd, said: "Was the drug mixed up? We do not know. Could there be a mix-up at some other times in the study? Yes it is possible, but that is not certain." Essen-Möller is determined not to let the mistake ruin the vaccine's progress towards approval. Essen-Möller also said he believes that the invalidation of the trial will not adversely affect any ongoing meetings with potential partners.

An area in Seattle, WA is reporting a two-fold increase in the number of diabetics, up from ten years ago. In addition to this -- type 1 diabetes is on the rise.

The numbers show that 84,000 adults (nearly 6% of the adult population of the county) were diagnosed with diabetes in 2006, compared with 2.8% in 1996. Even more are unaware they have the condition. Type 1 diabetes, for which there is no known prevention, is showing a dramatic increase in the area, as well.

A researcher involved in the study explains "this is not a question of raising awareness of diabetes anymore -- we're beyond that. We need to understand why people aren't listening." The comment pertains to type 2 diabetics and why they have not altered unhealthy lifestyles choices such as high-fat foods and not enough exercise. Both contribute to skyrocketing obesity rates. And obesity is a major risk factor for Type 2 diabetes, by far the most common form.

Seattle has one of the highest rates of type 1 diabetes in children under 5, and they don't know why. But early research shows that oral insulin in family members of those already diagnosed showed a 4 1/2-year delay in the onset of the disease.

The Edmonton Protocol has been temporarily put on hold due to fears the human form of mad cow disease might infect patients.

The source of an enzyme used in transplants was reported to derive from cow brains. Transplants of these treated islets have been put on hold until a source for this enzyme can be found that doesn't use cow brains. Dr. James Shapiro, the surgeon who developed the Edmontol Protocol said, "we just decided to put the program on hold". Shapiro and his team transplant healthy islet cells into the pancreas of people with Type 1 diabetes. The healthy cells allow recipients to again begin producing insulin crucial to the body's ability to regulate sugar digestion.

The National Institutes of Health was creating a similar program in the United States when it discovered that one of the biomedical compounds that Shapiro's team has been using depends on cow brains. Roche Applied Sciences was selling the team an enzyme that allows doctors to extract healthy islet cells. But Roche was buying the bacteria that secretes the enzyme from a third company, which grew the bacteria using fat from cow brains. Roche spokeswoman Michele Beaubien said from Montreal that the enzyme is sold for research purposes only.

The more I learn these days about medicine and how it is applied to diabetes - the more I feel as though everything is for research purposes only. Don't you? As Yogi Berra said, "it ain't over till it's over". A big thanks to Dave of No Sugar Tonight for bringing this story to my attention.

Just like a referee to normalize play throughout the game - DiaKine Therapeutics is developing ways to normalize the body's immune system.

The new drugs modulate cytokines, part of the body's immune system, which mistakenly attack normal organs and tissue and cause diseases such as: diabetes, multiple sclerosis and inflammatory bowel disease. Research by Dr. Nadler and his collaborators published in 2006 showed that controlling certain cytokines can arrest the progression of, or reverse, type 1 diabetes in an animal model.

The company's first product, IsletLifeLSF Media 1 is designed to improve the viability and insulin producing capabilities of harvested islet cells prior to transplant. This would potentially improve the success rate of the procedure. Additional therapeutics under development by DiaKine include: adjunct therapy to islet cell transplants, halting the progression of type 1 diabetes in newly diagnosed adults, treatment and prevention of Latent Autoimmune Diabetes of Adults (LADA), treatment and prevention of insulin requiring type 2 diabetic, treatment and prevention of diabetes complications.

It all sounds like good stuff in the works. Keep an eye on the progress and press releases of DiaKine, as well as their research partner - the Diabetes Research Institute. A lot is happening these days. What else have you seen or heard about in the autoimmune arena?

The Spring Point Project is a nonprofit organization created to increase the availability of islet tissue for diabetes care by cultivating medical-grade pigs for islet xenotransplantation.

Dr. Bernhard Hering is the scientific director of the Diabetes Institute for Immunology & Transplantation at the University of Minnesota. He believes the shortage of human donor organs greatly limits the applicability of islet transplants. Of course he does. In 2004, President Bush directed the Diabetes Research Work Group, created by Congress, to develop a comprehensive plan for diabetes research. One of the outgrowths has been the establishment of the NIH (National Institute of Health) Clinical Islet Transplant Consortium. Spring Point Project's consultant Dr. Bernhard Hering, M.D., is one of only five researchers worldwide appointed to serve on it. Hold the cornmeal, Wilbur. Who else has a seat in the NIH panel?These medical-grade pig islets require immunosuppression drugs to sustain the life of the islets without another autoimmune attack taking place. A statement from the faq page on The Spring Point Project site states, "Pig islet graft survival was made possible with a novel immunosuppressive protocol." Okay. Minor detail but very important when you weigh your options.

The Spring Point Project says human trials are slated to begin in 2008. Funny-- that is the same time Massachusetts General Hospital's human trials for Dr. Denise Faustman's proposed cure for type 1 diabetes is set to begin. Dr. Faustman's cure does not require any immunosuppression drugs. In my book - any cure that requires a continuum of drugs is not a cure, at all.