Islets of Langerhans

Beta cell dysfunctioning decrease the release of amylin and insulin in response to increased blood glucose levels and this is thought to be affected by misfolded amylin proteins where the cytotoxicity from amylin oligomers affects the function of islet beta cells via several mechanisms and affecting the signaling pathway and apoptosis of beta cells. Introduction: There are 2 major types of diabetes in humans which revolves around the control of blood sugar level. These 2 types of diabetes are type

To some people sweet treats can be a true indulgence, but for others this could mean the difference between life and death. Those people have to watch everything they eat and how much sugar they take in because they have a chronic illness called diabetes. “When you have diabetes, your body either doesn’t make enough insulin or can’t use its own insulin as well as it should.” (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] 2015) Insulin is a hormone made by the pancreas that is located near the

Cell Therapy and Diabetes The focus of this paper is to critique research that uses cell therapy to manage diabetes or to possibly reverse the main cause of the disease. The discussed research, proposes that there are studies that strongly support cell therapy as the cure for diabetes is achievable. Although some of the research might not give precise definition for a possible cure, I plan to critique the given articles and give an opinion regarding the possibilities of the existence of a cure for

the microencapsulation approach, which is when one cell or an islet cluster is individually encased in a microscale capsule made of polymer (8). It can maximize the surface area to volume ratio, but this technique is hard to have control over the thickness and pore sizes of the nanoporous layer and it is difficult for retrieval (8). The other technique is the macroencapsulation approach, which involves the packaging of many cells or islet clusters in one macrocapsule (9). It has the advantages of being

Isabelle Bridges Mr. Warnick A&P 2nd period 5 September 2017 Antagonistic Hormones: Insulin and Glucagon Insulin and glucagon are vital hormones in every human’s body. Before studying how these hormones relate and work together, what they are must first be determined. An antagonistic hormone is a type of hormone that acts to return body conditions back to the acceptable limits from opposite extremes (“Antagonistic Hormones”). Insulin is a hormone that tells cells throughout the body to take in glucose

MIF and Autoimmune Liver Disease MIF is constitutively expressed in low amounts by hepatocytes and has been shown to be weakly expressed within sinusoidal lining cells as well as biliary epithelial cells of the liver [1, 2]. Previous studies have described an increase in MIF levels being associated with inflammatory hepatic disorders such as cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma [3], however, to date little is known about MIF and its implications in the pathogenesis of autoimmune liver disease.

The homeostatic system is what works to maintain the physiological consistency within the internal environment of the body despite fluctuations within the external environment. The homeostatic system is constantly active in order to maintain an optimum internal environment to enable the body to work as efficiently as possible, it consists of receptors, a main control centre and effectors. This system is activated by an external stimulus producing a change within the internal environment which is

IMPLICATIONS: Ethically, Xenotransplantation goes against a lot of different views from people. People link this to why should the animals suffer and be harmed for the sake of keeping someone alive. However, it also raises the view of the suffering family and friends of those who have to suffer an illness like diabetes, where is the balance between animal suffering and human benefit? The main ethical view is why should animals suffer when it isn’t certain if it will benefit humans? However, how

Glucagon is the other hormone produced by the Islets of Langerhans. This hormone is produced by the alpha cells in the islets, which detect when blood sugar levels are too low (around 70 mg/dL) and respond by releasing glucagon. Glucagon stimulates the breakdown of stored glycogen into glucose through a process called glycogenolysis, and releases the glucose back into the bloodstream, thus raising blood sugar levels to a higher concentration. As blood glucose levels return to its equilibrium, the

Insulin is a peptide hormone that is made in the beta cells of the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas. Insulin regulates the influx of glucose and lipid metabolism in the liver, while it inhibits fatty acid oxidation, glycogenolysis, and gluconeogenesis. Insulin is comprised of 2 polypeptides, 51 amino acids and a molecular weight of 5808 Da. These two chains are coupled together by disulphide bridges (Bell et al., 1980), chains A is composed of 21 amino acids and B with 30 amino acids in its chain