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Sugarfix 1 - a study of the effects of high blood glucose on the eye and the potential for antioxidant protection. Dr Jonathan Noonan BSc( Hons ) MBBS PhD Student, CERA. Funding acknowledgement.
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Sugarfix 1 - a study of the effects of high blood glucose on the eye and the potential for antioxidant protection Dr Jonathan Noonan BSc(Hons) MBBS PhD Student, CERA
Funding acknowledgement Sugarfix 1 is funded by a Pilot & Feasibility Grant from the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) Type1 Diabetes Clinical Research Network
The eye in diabetes Diabetes mellitus • Chronic high blood glucose levels • Two main types • Type 1: the body attacks its own insulin-producing cells • Type 2: insulin resistance • Affects 382 million (8.3%) worldwide with almost half unaware
The eye in diabetes Diabetic retinopathy Damage to the retina in someone with diabetes Affects roughly 1 in 3 people with diabetes More likely to occur with higher blood glucose levels
The eye in diabetes Oxidative stress Blood vessel damage Blood glucose Oxygen Antioxidants? Anti-VEGF injections Fragile/leaky vessels Diabetic retinopathy
Sugarfix 1 Purpose • To study the effects of high blood glucose levels, with or without vitamin C, on: • Blood vessel function in the eye • Nerve cell function in the eye • Blood vessels in the rest of the body
Sugarfix 1 Details 12 otherwise healthy people with type 1 diabetes Blood glucose levels controlled with insulin/glucose infusions Vitamin C or placebo given at either visit (double-blind)
Sugarfix 1 Blood vessel function in the eye Flickering light causes blood vessel dilation Less dilation in people with diabetes We are studying how this changes with different blood glucose levels
Sugarfix 1 Nerve cell function in the eye Looking at a changing checkerboard pattern creates electrical signals These signals are smaller and slower in diabetes This may be due to problems with the ganglion (optic nerve) cells
Sugarfix 1 Stiffness of other blood vessels Radial artery in the forearm pulses with the heart beat Arteries become stiffer with high blood glucose levels Vitamin C reduces stiffening of arteries during high blood glucose levels
Sugarfix 1 Progress and future directions 3/12 participants completed (+4 seen once) Expected completion end September 2014 Results of Sugarfix 1 will be used to inform further research with antioxidants in diabetes STAY TUNED!