Diabetes Pharmacist : Diabetes Pharmacist Blog : Focus Express Mail Pharmacy : Insulin Pumps, Diabetes Supplies and Information

A recent study has demonstarted that giving mice a combination  of low doses of Metformin (brand name Gluophage)  with a common chemotherapy medication called Doxorubicin (brand name Adriamycin) shrank breast-cancer tumors and prevented their recurrence more effectively than chemotherapy alone.

Chemotherapy is effective against many tumors, said Kevin Struhl, a Harvard Medical School researcher and principal investigator of the study. "The problem is cancer stem cells acquire resistance" to treatment, he said. "They are able to regenerate the tumor and as a result you end up with a relapse."

Researchers said the combination of metformin and doxorubicin killed both regular cancer cells and cancer stem cells. In contrast, doxorubicin alone had limited effect on the stem cells.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks

A new standard, called the A1C assay, is being recommended by the American Diabetes Association (ADA), to help doctors test for and diagnose diabetes.

Instead of the 12-14 hour fasting glucose test and the glucose tolerance test currently in use, a simple blood test will be taken to measure how much protein in the blood has been fused with excess glucose that is not able to be used by the body because of diabetes.This is a process called called Glycation. Because it is such a simple test to do, the ADA recommends that everyone 45 or over has it regardless of lack of symptoms or family history.

 .

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks

• Email This
• Print
• Comments (1)
• Trackbacks

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks