The American journal of medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Randomized trial of computer-assisted insulin delivery in patients with type I diabetes beginning pump therapy.
Sixteen patients with type I diabetes were randomly assigned to two groups to evaluate the utility of computer-assisted insulin dosage decision-making. All patients used the same solid-phase reagent strip system for glucose measurement and the same pump. The standard group (n = 9) used standard algorithms for insulin adjustment, whereas the computer group (n = 7) relied on interactive instruction from a small, inexpensive (less than $100) computer. ⋯ Hemoglobin A1c values at six weeks correlated with the mean number of blood glucose values charted per week of the study. There was no difference between groups in symptomatic hypoglycemic episodes. Computer-assisted insulin dose decision-making is feasible, safe, and effective in enabling persons with type I diabetes mellitus to achieve lower mean blood glucose values over a six-week period while initiating pump therapy.
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Several major financial trends affecting medical education are delineated and their implications described. To channel these new economic forces in a productive manner, the curriculum of undergraduate and, especially, graduate medical education need to be reevaluated to ensure that medical training is accomplished in an efficient manner and reflects career opportunities of graduates in an era of excess physician supply.
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Zinc is required for normal immune function and taste acuity and enhances the in vitro effectiveness of insulin. Impaired immune function and taste have been reported in diabetic subjects, and decreased serum zinc levels and hyperzincuria occur in some diabetic subjects and animals. Subjects with type II diabetes were examined to determine whether the similar effects of zinc depletion and diabetes are causally related. ⋯ Zinc supplementation in nine diabetic subjects had no effect on the glycosylated hemoglobin level, natural killer cell activity, or taste thresholds, but it did increase mitogen activity in those with the lowest initial phytohemagglutinin responses. It is concluded that zinc deficiency occurs in a subset of subjects with type II diabetes but is not related to diabetes control and does not explain decreased taste acuity. Zinc deficiency may play a role in abnormal immune function in type II diabetes mellitus.