PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Study identifies better blood glucose monitor for burn care

2013-08-30
(Press-News.org) (SACRAMENTO, Calif.) — Glucose monitoring systems with an autocorrect feature that can detect red blood cells (hematocrit), vitamin C and other common interferents in burn patients' blood are better for monitoring care, a pilot study conducted by UC Davis researchers at the School of Medicine and College of Engineering has found. The study was published in the Journal of Burn Care Research.

Burn patients are at risk for high blood glucose levels, or hyperglycemia, due to the body's stress response. Intensive insulin therapy, which is commonly used to keep glucose under tight control, significantly reduces mortality and morbidity. But not all glucose monitoring systems are created equal, according to Nam Tran, assistant adjunct professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at UC Davis and lead author of the study.

"Many glucose monitoring systems, including those used throughout the five University of California health systems, may not adequately correct for interferents in the blood of burn patients," Tran said. "As a result, an inaccurate reading increases the potential for an insulin overdose. Our study showed that using a device that autocorrects for interferents can produce more accurate blood glucose measurements, which can improve insulin dosing and glucose control."

A multidisciplinary team of faculty and student researchers from the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Department of Biomedical Engineering, and the Department of Surgery conducted the study by assessing two different commercially available glucose monitoring systems in UC Davis' Firefighters Burn Institute Regional Burn Center.

Based on the researchers' findings, UC Davis patients at risk of hematocrit and vitamin C interferences, especially burn patients receiving high dose vitamin C therapy, will now be tested for glucose levels with the hospital's clinical chemistry laboratory analyzer. Tran is working with the UC Davis Clinical Laboratory staff to install a flag notification in the electronic health record system to notify physicians about utilizing the hospital's laboratory analyzer for these high-risk patients.

Traditional hospital lab testing uses plasma (samples devoid of red blood cells), so it remains the most accurate method for measuring blood glucose levels. However, the newer autocorrecting devices use less blood, essentially one drop, and produce results in just five seconds, as opposed to approximately 10 to 20 minutes for lab testing.

"In a critical burn patient, glucose levels can change even within that small time frame," Tran said. "A glucose monitoring system that can autocorrect is a necessary requirement to improve the quality of patient care."

Future studies will evaluate the performance of the autocorrection features of newer glucose meters. and assess whether autocorrection provides the most accurate glucose monitoring for all patient populations.

Tina L. Palmieri, professor of surgery and director of the Firefighters Burn Institute Regional Burn Center at UC Davis, is enthusiastic about the findings.

"Hyperglycemia is an important issue for burn patients because it decreases the body's ability to respond to infection and can cause other metabolic perturbations," Palmieri said. "Our published research has shown that administering insulin and controlling hyperglycemia decreases infection rates and improves outcomes in patients with severe burn injuries. However, controlling hyperglycemia can be problematic, as there are issues with monitor accuracy, calculation of the proper insulin dose and practitioner administration of insulin. This study addresses all three of these areas and may very well improve morbidity and mortality in burn patients."

Anthony G. Passerini, a UC Davis associate professor of biomedical engineering, launched the study with Tran. Passerini is the faculty instructor of the senior design course which pairs teams of undergraduate students with clinicians to identify needs and to design devices for improving health-care delivery.

"By bringing these technologies to the bedside, there is a real opportunity to improve patient care, by saving time and reducing human error," Passerini said.

Lydia P. Howell, professor and chair of pathology and laboratory medicine, believes this type of translational research has the potential to improve lives and transform health care.

"We strive to ensure that our patients have the most accurate and up-to-date testing methods available to them, and we are constantly working to improve the quality of care. I am especially pleased with the involvement of the undergraduate students in this study, as their contributions were significant and the experience they gained is excellent training for emerging leaders among the next generation of health-care providers."

Julian Cheng, a recent biomedical engineering graduate and a co-author of the paper, developed the software and algorithm used to automatically evaluate the glucose measurements between devices. The project was an extension of his senior design project to monitor glucose for intensive insulin therapy and adherence to glycemic control protocol at the point of care.

INFORMATION:

Co-authors also included Zachary R. Godwin, and Jennifer C. Bockhold, both student researchers with the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, and Morgan Ingemason, a recent neuroscience graduate of Pomona College who assisted with direct data collection and analysis as an Edmondson Fellow scholar.

This study was supported by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health (K30 Mentored Clinical Research Training Program Scholarship, UL1 TR000002), the glycemic variability computation engine developed by the Department of Biomedical Engineering Senior Design Program, and a National Institutes for Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering grant (R25EB012963). Palmieri and David Greenhalgh, Chief of the Division of Burn Surgery, served as Tran's K30 mentors.

UC Davis Health System is improving lives and transforming health care by providing excellent patient care, conducting groundbreaking research, fostering innovative, interprofessional education, and creating dynamic, productive partnerships with the community. The academic health system includes one of the country's best medical schools, a 619-bed acute-care teaching hospital, a 1000-member physician's practice group and the new Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing. It is home to a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, an international neurodevelopmental institute, a stem cell institute and a comprehensive children's hospital. Other nationally prominent centers focus on advancing telemedicine, improving vascular care, eliminating health disparities and translating research findings into new treatments for patients. Together, they make UC Davis a hub of innovation that is transforming health for all. For more information, visit http://healthsystem.ucdavis.edu.

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Alcohol breaks brain connections needed to process social cues

2013-08-30
Alcohol intoxication reduces communication between two areas of the brain that work together to properly interpret and respond to social signals, according to researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine. Their results were published in the September issue of Psychopharmacology. Previous research has shown that alcohol suppresses activity in the amygdala, the area of the brain responsible for perceiving social cues such as facial expressions. "Because emotional processing involves both the amygdala and areas of the brain located in the prefrontal ...

UCSB study examines heavy metal pollutants in fish at oil platforms and natural sites

2013-08-30
A recent study by UC Santa Barbara scientists analyzed whole-body fish samples taken from oil-and-gas production platforms and natural sites for heavy metal pollutants. The results showed all but four elements were relatively consistent at both types of location. The findings were published in the Bulletin of Marine Science. The research, led by fish expert Milton S. Love, a research biologist with UCSB's Marine Science Institute, entailed collecting a total of 196 fish –– 18 kelp bass (Paralabrax clathratus), 80 kelp rockfish (Sebastes atrovirens), and 98 Pacific sanddab ...

Protein predicts breast cancer prognosis

2013-08-30
Researchers have identified a protein that they believe may help predict breast cancer prognosis, potentially relieving thousands of women at low risk from having to undergo painful, oft-debilitating therapies, while insuring the most successful treatments for those at high risk. The research was published ahead of print in the journal Molecular and Cellular Biology. Using bioinformatics techniques, the authors showed that the levels of expression of some 1,200 genes that are directly controlled by the enzyme, EZH2, correlates with the aggressiveness of breast cancer ...

Hydrogen fuel from sunlight

2013-08-30
In the search for clean, green sustainable energy sources to meet human needs for generations to come, perhaps no technology matches the ultimate potential of artificial photosynthesis. Bionic leaves that could produce energy-dense fuels from nothing more than sunlight, water and atmosphere-warming carbon dioxide, with no byproducts other than oxygen, represent an ideal alternative to fossil fuels but also pose numerous scientific challenges. A major step toward meeting at least one of these challenges has been achieved by researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy ...

Mutations in a gene that impacts immune function increase susceptibility to prostate cancer

2013-08-30
SEATTLE – A team of researchers led by Janet Stanford, Ph.D., of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center has discovered that mutations in the gene BTNL2, which encodes a protein involved in regulating T-cell proliferation and cytokine production – both of which impact immune function – increase the risk of developing prostate cancer. The findings, by Stanford and colleagues from the University of Washington Genome Sciences Department and the National Human Genome Research Institute, are online ahead of the print issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. A ...

Toward an early diagnostic tool for Alzheimer's disease

2013-08-30
This news release is available in French. Despite all the research done on Alzheimer's, there is still no early diagnostic tool for the disease. By looking at the brain wave components of individuals with the disease, Professor Tiago H. Falk of INRS's Centre Énergie Matériaux Télécommunications has identified a promising avenue of research that may not only help diagnose the disease, but also assess its severity. This non-invasive, objective method is the subject of an article in the journal PLOS ONE. Patients with Alzheimer's disease currently undergo neuropsychological ...

New nanoparticles make solar cells cheaper to manufacture

2013-08-30
University of Alberta researchers have found that abundant materials in the Earth's crust can be used to make inexpensive and easily manufactured nanoparticle-based solar cells. The U of A discovery, several years in the making, is an important step forward in making solar power more accessible to parts of the world that are off the traditional electricity grid or face high power costs, such as the Canadian North, said researcher Jillian Buriak, a chemistry professor and senior research officer of the National Institute for Nanotechnology, based on the U of A campus. Buriak ...

Penn study: Shutting off neurons helps bullied mice overcome symptoms of depression

2013-08-30
PHILADELPHIA— A new drug target to treat depression and other mood disorders may lie in a group of GABA neurons (gamma-aminobutyric acid –the neurotransmitters which inhibit other cells) shown to contribute to symptoms like social withdrawal and increased anxiety, Penn Medicine researchers report in a new study in the Journal of Neuroscience. Experts know that people suffering from depression and other mood disorders often react to rejection or bullying by withdrawing themselves socially more than the average person who takes it in strides, yet the biological processes ...

New research gives answers on the relationship between chronic illness and food insecurity

2013-08-30
Research findings provide direct evidence that people with chronic diseases are more likely to be food insecure - that is suffering from inadequate, insecure access to food as a result of financial constraints. Previous research has shown that food insecurity rates are highest among low-income households, in households reliant on social assistance, reporting Aboriginal status, renting rather than owning their dwelling, and lone-parent female-led (see recent annual report from PROOF). Even taken together though, these factors provide only a partial explanation for the vulnerability ...

Jailed men express need for financial education

2013-08-30
URBANA, Ill. – Is anyone surprised that brushes with the law are often related to finances? As one jailed man interviewed in a new University of Illinois study put it, "Most of us are in here because of money." Incarcerated men know they will need better financial skills to succeed when they're released from prison, but most distrust the system, are more open to educators from outside their facility, and believe they need personal rather than classroom instruction, said Angela Wiley, a U of I professor of applied family studies and co-author of the article published in ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

KAIST Develops Retinal Therapy to Restore Lost Vision​

Adipocyte-hepatocyte signaling mechanism uncovered in endoplasmic reticulum stress response

Mammals were adapting from life in the trees to living on the ground before dinosaur-killing asteroid

Low LDL cholesterol levels linked to reduced risk of dementia

Thickening of the eye’s retina associated with greater risk and severity of postoperative delirium in older patients

Almost one in ten people surveyed report having been harmed by the NHS in the last three years

Enhancing light control with complex frequency excitations

New research finds novel drug target for acute myeloid leukemia, bringing hope for cancer patients

New insight into factors associated with a common disease among dogs and humans

Illuminating single atoms for sustainable propylene production

New study finds Rocky Mountain snow contamination

Study examines lactation in critically ill patients

UVA Engineering Dean Jennifer West earns AIMBE’s 2025 Pierre Galletti Award

Doubling down on metasurfaces

New Cedars-Sinai study shows how specialized diet can improve gut disorders

Making moves and hitting the breaks: Owl journeys surprise researchers in western Montana

PKU Scientists simulate the origin and evolution of the North Atlantic Oscillation

ICRAFT breakthrough: Unlocking A20’s dual role in cancer immunotherapy

How VR technology is changing the game for Alzheimer’s disease

A borrowed bacterial gene allowed some marine diatoms to live on a seaweed diet

Balance between two competing nerve proteins deters symptoms of autism in mice

Use of antifungals in agriculture may increase resistance in an infectious yeast

Awareness grows of cancer risk from alcohol consumption, survey finds

The experts that can outsmart optical illusions

Pregnancy may reduce long COVID risk

Scientists uncover novel immune mechanism in wheat tandem kinase

Three University of Virginia Engineering faculty elected as AAAS Fellows

Unintentional drug overdoses take a toll across the U.S. unequally, study finds

A step toward plant-based gelatin

ECMWF unveils groundbreaking ML tool for enhanced fire prediction

[Press-News.org] Study identifies better blood glucose monitor for burn care