Touro University California students and staff conduct mobile diabetes testing at the university's Mobile Diabetes Education Center. (Courtesy photo)

VALLEJO Deanna Dickey vividly remembers the day Touros new Mobile Diabetes Education Center first went out into the community.

The day was cold and rainy as she maneuvered the 35-foot trailer through the parking lot of Suisun Citys Kroc Center. She didnt expect to see a large crowd of people interested in diabetes screening or education, but the results surprised her.

We had 30 people show up on that first day who were excited to see us, the driver of mobile center said. It made me feel wonderful to do something for them and be there at their disposal.

Diabetes is a national growing concern and is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States. In California alone, 55 Percent of the population is currently diagnosed with either pre-diabetes or diabetes. And most do not realize that they have it.

In its commitment to support the health and welfare of the local community, Touro University California launched the Mobile Diabetes Education Centerin March 2017, offering free diabetes screenings and raising diabetes awareness in Solano County. Its goal is to build greater awareness about diabetes and provide visitors with the tools and information that they need to take charge of their lives.

The first step is to know that youre at risk so you can work to have a healthier lifestyle, said Jay Shubrook, professor and diabetologist at Touros College of Osteopathic Medicine. We need to help people navigate their life because life often gets in the way of their health.

But diabetes is not a one-size-fits-all disease. The longer diabetes goes untreated, the harder it becomes to manage, which is why so much emphasis is put on early detection.

To work toward prevention, visitors learn useful ways that they can make changes for healthier nutrition and a more active lifestyle. With a direct presence in the community, advice is catered around using local options already available for healthy eating and activity.

People in Solano need these health services as so many are not aware of the risk, nor are they accessing the health care that they need. Shubrook said. We want to get them to wherever they want to go and help them learn to navigate the resources in their community.

The Mobile Diabetes Education Center is run with the aid of student volunteers who have spent a total of 91 hours in the community since March. They are organized by second-year College of Osteopathic Medicine student Rachel Mullin and led by diabetes program coordinators Anne Lee and Dickey.

Students are the driving force for the MOBEC, and their excitement is contagious, Shubrook said. They bring the energy and provide practical and accurate information. By using teams of students, we create an interprofessional experience for future doctors, pharmacists, physician assistants, nurses and practitioners of public health.

Ready to serve the seven cities of Solano County, the Mobile Diabetes Education Center has already visited locations like the Joan Kroc Community Center in Suisun City, Faith Food Fridays in Vallejo and the Rio Vista Senior Center. The mobile center will have a seven-city tour in July in Solano County to bring awareness of this pressing disease.

Having diabetes means taking personal action, action from their family, their workplace and their community. We are here to be their first step, Shubrook said.

For more information, visittu.edu.

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Touro University California tackles diabetes throughout Solano County - Fairfield Daily Republic

Summer camp, with its non-stop schedule of arts and crafts, sports and water games is a rite of passage for many children and teenagers.

For a group of determined Central Texas parents, a special camp in a special place allows their children and teens to do everything campers everywhere do even though they have type 1 diabetes.

Last week, Varietys Peaceable Kingdom Retreat for Children south of Killeen hosted Camp Bluebonnet with 200 first- through 12th-grade students. They are children who have diabetes and their siblings.

I love camp and lots of kids love camp, said Amy Wallquist, president of the organization that operates Camp Bluebonnet. Not everyone does. I want them to find their thing, whatever that is.

Its important to find other kids like you, she said. Kids with diabetes are just kids.

Fourth-grader Gavin Castelan was eating lunch with his friends. His face was painted from an arts activity and he was talking about a nickname he acquired based on the movie Ant Man.

As children ate their lunches in the retreat dining facility, a doctor made his rounds checking on campers blood sugar levels. No one seemed to notice or care.

Its fun because we go swimming and play on the water slide, said Castelan, who is going to be a fourth-grader in Austin ISD. I also like the foam fan, a contraption that blows bubbles.

Ive been here lots of times, the experienced camper said. Its one of the best weeks of the year.

Five days of camp began Monday with an opening ceremony, complete with a New Years theme and a dropping ball and blowing confetti.

Every day included campers within grade levels moving from low ropes to high ropes courses to games, crafts, archery, animal encounters, swimming, lunch and blood sugar checks.

It was 35 years ago that a group of parents in Austin began a series of play dates to get their children together and share knowledge of diabetes.

That practice evolved to include medical professionals and took the form of a day camp at Zilker Park and later at Reunion Ranch, before a Peaceable Kingdom director invited the group to the sprawling retreat near Killeen.

Now, hundreds of campers make the trip Monday through Friday on multiple buses from the Austin and Round Rock areas. Many parents, including those in Killeen and Copperas Cove, bring their children and some stay all day.

The planning organization, Childrens Disability Camp of Central Texas, added an additional camp for high school students and an introductory camp for pre-school children, as well as a camp for adults with type 1 diabetes.

We are trying to hit the whole population, said Wallquist. We are for the whole family. The week of Camp Bluebonnet includes daily activities for parents, including informational sessions.

Peaceable Kingdom, with its pastoral name and bucolic setting along the Lampasas River, is a place where children and teens and their parents get away for play and rest.

Diabetes is relentless, Wallquist said. Camp can be a booster shot. We tell them to keep up the good work and to find what recharges you.

What I like is that Im in a camp surrounded by people like me, said Maura Connors, headed into seventh grade in Leander ISD. Its a safe place.

She said she enjoyed the arts and crafts and was learning about how carbohydrates break up in your body.

Its important to have a camp like this because for a lot of diabetics, it would be dangerous. Here we can feel safe and have fun. Sometimes when Im here I forget I have diabetes.

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Diabetes camp held at Peaceable Kingdom - The Killeen Daily Herald

Since her diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes in 2009, Madyi Stangl has felt that the disease has placed a cloud on her life limiting her ability to travel and live life.

But that cloud has lifted, thanks to a special golden retriever named Willy.

Willy is a diabetes assistance dog that was given to Stangl by Can Do Canines, a New Hope, Minn., based non-profit organization that trains dogs to help people who live with diabetes, autism, seizures, hearing loss and mobility issues.

Madyi and Willy graduated in a class of 14 on June 10.

Willy can detect changes in Stangls blood sugar levels by scent. He alerts Madyi to high or low blood sugar levels by touching her with his paw. If she doesnt respond, he will whine or whimper and eventually do whatever he needs to do to get her attention. He is trained to bring glucose tablets or even a cell phone to Stangl.

Recently, Stangl had a scary low of 34 during the night. When she failed to respond to Willys touches, he laid over her body until she woke up. She then checked her blood sugar levels and ate food to bring her levels back up to normal, saving her life.

Can Do Canines has produced nearly 600 teams of dogs and their human companions since opening in 1989, according to Client Services Coordinator Sarah Schaff.

The organization can give away the dogs, which are sold by other organizations for $20,000 or more, because of volunteers and many donors, Schaff says.

Funding comes from donations from individuals, companies and grants. Schaff reports that the organization does not receive any state or federal funds, relying solely on donations, fundraisers and bequests.

Puppies are bred in a cooperative program with other certified service dog organizations, raised by volunteers and many receive their initial training in six Minnesota and two Wisconsin prisons.

Schaff notes that the prison environment is good for the dogs as well as the inmates.

It gives dogs a 24/7 taste of what life will be like when they are working, she says, adding that there are many studies pointing to the therapeutic benefits for the inmate handlers as well.

The organization has a screening process to find suitable candidates to match with dogs that are in the system or are in training.

It takes two years to raise and train a dog to be an assistance animal, Schaff says.

Madyi lives ub Minneapolis and works as the Operations Lead for the University of Minnesota Physicians, and Willy accompanies her to work as well. He even alerted a diabetic co-worker to a low blood sugar level.

Stangl grew up with dogs and reports that having Willy around is like having a big security blanket that I carry with me all the time. She is now more confident as well.

Even though Im going to continue on as this girl with this physical reminder of my disability, Im a little prouder because Im able to shed light on diabetes. Diabetes is an invisible illness, but it is something that needs to be seen because its not something to be taken lightly, she says.

Even though Willy is a beautiful and friendly dog, Stangl asks that people should refrain from touching him or any other assistance dog without permission of the owner.

When we are out in public and Willy is wearing his vest, its important not to make eye contact or distract him, Stangl says. He is working for me, and if he gets distracted, he stops working and that could be dangerous.

Schaff says that Can Do Canines is in need of volunteers to raise and train labrador, collie and poodle puppies for two years and return them to the company for further training.

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'Lifting the cloud' of diabetes with a special dog - Burnett County Sentinel (subscription)

LOOMIS Becton Dickinson wants to help cure or find a better way to treat diabetes, so the medical equipment manufacturer supports the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

To do so, BD is sponsoring a 2K Color Fun Run July 1 in Loomis. It will begin at Loomis High School and will end at the communitys water park.

Usually, we sponsor an event inside the plant, but we decided to do something different this year, said Holdrege BD employee and event leader Sheri Freeland.

Donations will benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Lincoln and Greater Nebraska Chapter to create a world without type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disease in which a persons pancreas stops producing insulin. Insulin is a hormone people need to get energy from food.

The disease can suddenly strike both children and adults. Type 1 diabetes is unrelated to diet or lifestyle. People with type 1 diabetes must regularly monitor their blood-sugar levels, inject or continually infuse insulin through a pump, and carefully regulate insulin doses with eating and activity 24 hours a day.

The juvenile diabetes foundation funds research to deliver new treatments and therapies that make day-to-day life with diabetes easier, safer and healthier until it can prevent and one day cure the disease.

After hearing a speech from 13-year-old Riley Kinnan, who was diagnosed with diabetes at the age of 7, Freeland knew leading this event was something she wanted to do.

(Her speech) was interesting and motivating. Since Ive worked (at BD) for 36 years, I felt like I should do something, and I knew this was a great way to help out, said Freeland.

Riley, an eighth-grader to be from Lincoln, is an ambassador for the juvenile diabetes foundation. She is very passionate about helping younger children, especially those who are also dealing with the challenges of a diabetes diagnosis.

In the past, BD has sponsored diabetes foundation events such as chili cookoffs, salsa-making contests, hamburger feeds and silent auctions. It has sponsored the juvenile diabetes foundation for six or seven years.

There are 30 people signed up for the Color Run, and Freeland said she has already sold 80 T-shirts for the occasion. All proceeds are going to the juvenile diabetes foundation, and BD is matching the money raised.

Freeland said she is grateful for the number of people who have signed up so far to participate.

We werent sure if we would have enough people or money to put this event together, but we ended up having many volunteers and people in the community willing to help out.

With continued publicity for the event, Freeland hopes to help those suffering with diabetes.

Its a scary disease, and it can affect so young. There are kids that are 2 or even younger that have it, and its terrifying to think about how many shots to have daily and watching what you eat constantly. Its not like you can take a pill and make it go away. For kids, it just sucks, Freeland said.

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BD fun run to benefit juvenile diabetes research | Local | kearneyhub ... - Kearney Hub

June 23, 2017 Researchers at the University of Texas at Dallas have developed a wearable diagnostic biosensor that can detect three interconnected, diabetes-related compounds -- cortisol, glucose and interleukin-6 -- in perspired sweat for up to a week without loss of signal integrity. The team envisions that their wearable devices will contain a small transceiver to send data to an application installed on a cellphone. Credit: University of Texas at Dallas

Researchers at The University of Texas at Dallas are getting more out of the sweat they've put into their work on a wearable diagnostic tool that measures three diabetes-related compounds in microscopic amounts of perspiration.

"Type 2 diabetes affects so many people. If you have to manage and regulate this chronic problem, these markers are the levers that will help you do that," said Dr. Shalini Prasad, professor of bioengineering in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science. "We believe we've created the first diagnostic wearable that can monitor these compounds for up to a week, which goes beyond the type of single use monitors that are on the market today."

In a study published recently in Scientific Reports, Prasad and lead author Dr. Rujute Munje, a recent bioengineering PhD graduate, describe their wearable diagnostic biosensor that can detect three interconnected compounds - cortisol, glucose and interleukin-6 - in perspired sweat for up to a week without loss of signal integrity.

"If a person has chronic stress, their cortisol levels increase, and their resulting insulin resistance will gradually drive their glucose levels out of the normal range," said Prasad, Cecil H. and Ida Green Professor in Systems Biology Science. "At that point, one could become pre-diabetic, which can progress to type 2 diabetes, and so on. If that happens, your body is under a state of inflammation, and this inflammatory marker, interleukin-6, will indicate that your organs are starting to be affected."

Last October, Prasad and her research team confirmed they could measure glucose and cortisol in sweat. Several significant advances since then have allowed them to create a more practical, versatile tool.

"We wanted to make a product more useful than something disposable after a single use," Prasad said. "It also has to require only your ambient sweat, not a huge amount. And it's not enough to detect just one thing. Measuring multiple molecules in a combinatorial manner and tracking them over time allows us to tell a story about your health."

One factor that facilitated their device's progress was the use of room temperature ionic liquid (RTIL), a gel that serves to stabilize the microenvironment at the skin-cell surface so that a week's worth of hourly readings can be taken without the performance degrading over time.

"This greatly influences the cost model for the deviceyou're buying four monitors per month instead of 30; you're looking at a year's supply of only about 50," Prasad said. "The RTIL also allows the detector to interface well with different skin typesthe texture and quality of pediatric skin versus geriatric skin have created difficulties in prior models. The RTIL's ionic characteristics make it somewhat like applying moisturizer to skin."

Prasad's team also determined that their biomarker measurements are reliable with a tiny amount of sweatjust 1 to 3 microliters, much less than the 25 to 50 previously believed necessary.

"We actually spent three years producing that evidence," Prasad said. "At those low volumes, the biomolecules expressed are meaningful. We can do these three measurements in a continuous manner with that little sweat."

Prasad envisions that her wearable devices will contain a small transceiver to send data to an application installed on a cellphone.

"With the app we're creating, you'll simply push a button to request information from the device," Prasad said. "If you measure levels every hour on the hour for a full week, that provides 168 hours' worth of data on your health as it changes."

That frequency of measurement could produce an unprecedented picture of how the body responds to dietary decisions, lifestyle activities and treatment.

"People can take more control and improve their own self-care," Prasad said. "A user could learn which unhealthy decisions are more forgiven by their body than others."

Prasad has emphasized "frugal innovation" throughout the development process, making sure the end product is accessible for as many people as possible.

"We've designed this product so that it can be manufactured using standard coating techniques. We made sure we used processes that will allow for mass production without adding cost," Prasad said. "Our cost of manufacturing will be comparable to what it currently takes to make single-use glucose test stripsas little as 10 to 15 cents. It needs to reach people beyond America and Europeand even within first-world nations, we see the link between diabetes and wealth. It can't simply be a small percentage of people who can afford this."

Prasad was motivated to address this specific problem in part by her own story.

"South Asians, like myself, are typically prone to diabetes and to cardiovascular disease," Prasad said. "If I can monitor on a day-to-day basis how my body is responding to intake, and as I age, if I can adjust my lifestyle to keep those readings where they need to be, then I can delay getting a disease, if not prevent it entirely."

For Prasad, the latest work is a fulfilling leap forward in what has already been a five-year process.

"We've been solving this problem since 2012, in three phases," Prasad said. "The initial concept for a system level integration of these sensors was done in collaboration with EnLiSense LLC, a startup focused on enabling lifestyle based sensors and devices. In the market, there's nothing that is a slap-on wearable that uses perspired sweat for diagnostics. And I think we are the closest. If we find the right partner, then within a 12-month window, we hope to license our technology and have our first products in the market."

Explore further: Bioengineers create sweat-based sensor to monitor glucose

More information: Rujuta D. Munje et al, A new paradigm in sweat based wearable diagnostics biosensors using Room Temperature Ionic Liquids (RTILs), Scientific Reports (2017). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-02133-0

Google said Friday it would stop scanning the contents of Gmail users' inboxes for ad targeting, moving to end a practice that has fueled privacy concerns since the free email service was launched.

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Researchers at The University of Texas at Dallas are getting more out of the sweat they've put into their work on a wearable diagnostic tool that measures three diabetes-related compounds in microscopic amounts of perspiration.

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Bioengineers create more durable, versatile wearable for diabetes ... - Phys.Org