Healing and Hope

A Newsletter of the Diabetes Institutes Foundation

Novenber 2006

Greetings from the Foundation

Dear DIF Friends,

November is National Diabetes Month. Diabetes affects almost 21 million American of all ages and backgrounds. The SDI is committed to caring for those with diabetes, educating the community and health professionals about the latest information, and finding a cure for this debilitating disease. As you observe National Diabetes Month, we hope that you recognize the efforts of all of the staff here at SDI whose efforts in patient care, education and research are making a positive impact on the lives of all suffering from diabetes.

This issue is full of good news - from the latest information about INGAP to special recipes to try. We hope you enjoy this issue as we all prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving and the start of the holiday season. The staff of the Diabetes Institutes Foundation is grateful to you – our readers and donors – for the support you demonstrate for the Strelitz Diabetes Institutes year-round.

Wishing you a very happy Thanksgiving,

Michelle B. Charters
Executive Director

FOUNDATION NEWS

Library Lecture This Week
This Wednesday, November 15th, at 7 pm, Sheri Colberg, PhD will present “Living Well and Being Fit with Diabetes, No Matter Your Weight” . This lecture is part of the Education Institutes Public Lecture Series held at the Virginia Beach Central Library.

Santa Promotion
From November 24th through December 31st, diners at downtown Norfolk’s 456 Fish, Bodega and Byrd & Baldwin can buy a cute collectible - and make a difference. Every year, restauranteur Ron Zoby purchases Clothtique Collectible Santas to use as table displays, which are also available for purchase. A different charity receives 100% of the the profits each holiday season. Past recipients have included St. Mary’s Home for Children, Childrens Hospital of the Kings Daughters and St. Judes.

“We’re very pleased to have our Santa promotion benefit the Institutes this year,” says Zoby, who, along with partners Sture Sigfred and Barbara Zoby, owns all three restaurants. “Everyone seems to love the Santas, and they pretty much sell themselves by being right on the tables. Each year we choose a different charity and the Institutes is doing such important work, right here in Norfolk.” The Santas are around 12 inches tall and range in price from $40-$100 depending on the style.

TCOYD A Success!
Around 500 people attended the Taking Care of Your Diabetes,conference co produced by Sheri Colberg on Saturday, October 28th at the Virginia Beach Conference Center. Participants took part in sessions meant to highlight advances in medicine as well as on the importance of diet and exercise in controlling diabetes.

MEDICAL NEWS

Visiting Professor Lauds SDI Research as “Pioneering”
Late last month, Dr. Alex Rabinovitch, Professor of Medicine and Co-Director of the Muttart Diabetes Research & Training Centre at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, was the visiting Professor to the Institutes. In addition to presenting his findings, Dr. Rabinovitch gave the Institutes high marks for the great strides that have been made with INGAP. As a result of work done at SDI, Dr. Rabinovitch sees a real future for INGAP if an infusion of funds can once again give the work a jumpstart. “It is my belief, based on my knowledge and expertise regarding potential islet beta-cell regenerative therapies as well as on the extensive basic research studies carried out by Dr. Vinik’s group, that INGAP peptide will be shown to have a significant therapeutic role in correcting hyperglycemia in type 1 and type 2 diabetes” he maintains.

As part of his presentation, “Beta-Cell Regeneration Therapies for Type 1 Diabetes,” Dr. Rabinovitch highlighted a discovery that contradicts previous assumptions about how the pancreas processes islets. It had been thought that generating new islets would trigger an automatic autoimmune response, i.e., that the pancreas would immediately reject them. However, Dr. Rabinovitch has found the opposite to be true – the moment new islets are generated, the autoimmune response, rather than being re-activated, begins to disappear.

In 2004 SDI researchers had come to the same conclusion in a study using non obese animals with severe autoimmune diabetes, which was published in the Annals of Surgery. But no one believed such a response was possible. Dr. Vinik recalls that at the time, the prevailing attitude was a dismissive “that just can’t be right.” But as these cutting edge studies, originated at the Institutes, are duplicated and confirmed, the tide of opinion is turning. If a second drug is not necessary to counteract an autoimmune response, implications for the future are exciting.

Additionally, in a paper published recently by SDI researchers Dr. David A. Taylor-Fishwick, Dr. Wenjing Shi, Dr. Gary L. Pittenger and Dr. Vinik, it was shown that overexpression of INGAP protected the islets from destruction by the beta cell poison streptozotocin. It appears that increasing the number of these “iron islets” using INGAP may be sufficient not only to get the pancreas up and running, but also to protect the person from developing diabetes!

Dr. Vinik to Speak at Sentara Dinner
On November 16th, Dr. Vinik will share the progress towards a cure for certain forms of diabetes with Sentara physicians as guest speaker at Sentara’s John J. Krueger Lectureship and Award Dinner at the Ramada Inn Oceanfront in Virginia Beach. The annual event honors noted Sentara pathologist John J. Krueger as well as presenting a Physician of the Year.

Dr. Vinik has organized an important conference at the end of this month. November 29th-December 2nd, the 7th International Symposium on Diabetic Neuropathy, an official symposium of the International Diabetes Federation, will be held in Cape Town, South Africa. Topics will include Translating Pathogenesis Into Therapy, Diabetic Neuropathic Pain, Diabetic Foot and Future Therapies. The ability to gather together so many scientists from all over the world is a tribute to the high regard for the work on neuropathy at the SDI.

NUTRITION TOPICS

Good Eats!
For maximum flavor with little effort, try roasting! Enjoy these delicious fall recipes, reprinted from the October issue of Diabetes Forecast.

Spinach, Orange and Beet Salad
Makes 4 1-cup servings

Salad
3 small beets, without tops, unpeeled
2 medium oranges, peeled and sectioned
1 lb. spinach, washed, dried and coarsely chopped

Dressing
½ c. balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp. orange juice
1 ½ tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. water
1 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 shallot, finely minced
Salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wrap beets in foil and place either directly on the rack or on a baking sheet. Roast for 45 minutes to an hour (stick a cake tester or fork in to test doneness. Beets should be tender).
2. When cool enough to handle, remove the foil from the beets and peel under cold running water (can use fingers or peeler). Pat dry.
3. Slice beets into 1/2” slices – be careful, beet juice stains!
4. Make the dressing – combine ingredients in small saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower heat and reduce dressing volume by half.
5. Put spinach in a bowl, top with beets and drizzle on dressing.

(Or try dipping your fork in the dressing before taking each bite)

Nutrition Facts
Calories per serving – 157
Calories from fat – 50
Total fat – 6 grams (saturated fat - .7 grams)
Cholesterol – 0 milligrams
Sodium – 118 milligrams
Total Carbohydrate – 27 grams (dietary fiber – 4 grams; sugars – 19 grams)
Protein – 4 grams

Roasted Carrots and Parsnips
Makes about 10 ½ c. servings
5 large carrots (about a lb), ends trimmed and sliced on the diagonal into 1 ½” chunks
4 large parsnips (about a lb), ends trimmed and sliced on the diagonal into 1 ½” chunks
2 Tbsp. olive oil
½ tsp. kosher salt
1-2 Tbsp. chopped fresh herbs (thyme, oregano, sage or rosemary)

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Toss the vegetables with oil, salt and herbs.
2. Arrange the vegetables on 2 parchment paper-covered baking sheets.
3. Roast about 20-25 minutes, flipping the vegetables halfway through cooking time. Watch for overbrowning!

Nutrition Facts
Calories per serving – 72
Calories from fat – 26
Total fat – 3 grams (saturated fat - .4 grams)
Cholesterol – 0 milligrams
Sodium – 128 milligrams
Total carbohydrate – 11 grams (dietary fiber – 3 grams; sugars – 3 grams)
Protein – 1 gram

Creamy Butternut Squash and Roasted Pear Soup
Makes 6 1¼ c. servings
1 medium onion, sliced
2 medium Bosc pears, peeled, halved, cored and sliced into 1” slices
3 sprigs fresh thyme
2 Tbsp. light tub margarine
2 tsp. olive oil
1 large butternut squash, halved, seeds removed (do not peel)
1 ½ c. low fat, reduced sodium chicken broth
2 c. fat-free milk
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a large baking pan, place the onion, pears, thyme, margarine and olive oil. Place squash halves on top of this mixture.
2. Roast the squash for about 50-60 minutes, until you can easily get a fork through the squash. Remove from the oven and let cool.
3. When cool enough to handle, scrape squash out of skin and add to a blender or food processor along with the contents of the roasting pan (including the juices). Discard the skin.
4. Process until smooth and pour into a large saucepan. Add chicken broth and simmer on medium- low heat for 10 minutes.
5. Add the milk and simmer for 5-8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Nutrition Facts
Calories per serving – 144
Calories from fat – 29
Total fat – 3 grams (saturated fat - .5 grams)
Cholesterol – 2 milligrams
Sodium – 197 milligrams (without added salt)
Total carbohydrate – 27 grams (dietary fiber – 3 grams; sugars – 13 grams)
Protein – 5 grams