A sensor in the arm may help thousands with diabetes avoid having frequent finger prick tests.
The device, called Eversense, is slightly larger than a pill and is implanted under the skin in a five-minute procedure.
It then continuously monitors blood sugar levels from the fluid that bathes cells just below the skin and transmits the data to a smartphone.
If blood sugar levels drop too low or are too high, the patient receives an alert on their phone, so they can take insulin to reduce the levels or eat something sugary to increase them.
A sensor in the arm can help patients with diabetes by sending messages to their phones when their blood sugar is too low or high. The device, called Eversense, is slightly larger than the pill (file photo)
The device also has a vibration alert in case the phone is off or there is no signal.
It stops patients needing regular finger prick tests, which can be painful. It has been approved in Europe, but is not yet available in the UK, though it is being considered by the NHS.
A study presented recently at the Diabetes Technology Meeting in Maryland, U.S., showed it was accurate and effective when tested on 90 adults with type 1 or type 2 diabetes for 90 days.
If this type of monitoring was used more widely, it could help to reduce hospital admissions and diabetic complications, according to the charity Diabetes UK.
It is particularly useful for patients with type 1 diabetes —where the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy cells in the pancreas, which then cannot produce insulin. It affects 400,000 Britons — about 10 per cent of all adults with diabetes.
Patients with this type of diabetes currently monitor blood sugar levels by taking between four and ten finger-prick tests a day, which helps them work out how much insulin they need.
But this method only gives a snapshot of blood sugar levels at that time, so it can be difficult to tell if they are rising or falling. It means that despite regular checking, patients may still suffer attacks of hypoglycaemia — when levels drop too low, causing shakiness, sweating and confusion.
Eversense is a continuous glucose monitor. Some patients already use devices such as the FreeStyle Libre and Enlite, which work in a similar way, but these need to be replaced every seven to 14 days. In contrast, Eversense will last for 90 days before it needs replacing.
It comprises a pill-sized implant and a small, square patch stuck to the skin above the device. Patients are given a local anaesthetic in the arm. A 1cm incision is made in the skin to insert the sensor and is then closed.
The device also has a vibration alert in case the phone is off or there is no signal. It is thought to be particularly helpful for people who suffer from Type One diabetes (file photo)
‘Research shows that continuous glucose monitoring can improve overall diabetes control and reduce complications such as diabetic coma and foot amputations by reducing the amount of time someone spends with very high or very low blood sugar,’ says Simon O’Neill, director of health intelligence at Diabetes UK.
However, these devices cost several thousand pounds a year and the Eversense is likely to be similarly priced.
‘People pay for continuous monitoring devices themselves and even those who fit the criteria to have one on the NHS can find their local health authority does not fund them for everyone,’ says Mr O’Neill.
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‘However, in the long term, the cost benefit could be substantial when you factor in the AE visits and extra medical support needed when someone suffers from uncontrolled hypoglycaemia or very high sugar levels.
‘Complications can include seizures, foot disease and even amputations, which reduce mobility and quality of life.’
He says more evidence is needed about the efficacy and cost effectiveness of these devices.
‘All the systems use different methods of measuring glucose. It may be this one is more durable than other methods.’
Could adding fibre to your diet ease painful joints?
Eating more fibre may reduce the pain caused by arthritic knees.
Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine tracked 4,796 patients for eight years and found that those who ate the most fibre were 44 per cent less likely to develop severe pain and had a 24 per cent lower risk of suffering from moderate pain.
It’s thought that fibre reduces inflammation in the body, causing the patient less pain.
The findings, in the journal Arthritis Care Research, suggested 25g of fibre a day (two cups of prunes) was enough to lower pain by a third.
The magic pen that can diagnose Parkinson’s
A special pen can diagnose Parkinson’s disease as it detects tremors. There is no definitive test for the disease and brain scans that can help diagnose are expensive (file photo)
Parkinson’s disease could be diagnosed with the help of a special pen.
The device, known as the ManusNeuro Pen, contains sensors that analyse subtle hand movements.
The idea is that when patients use it to write, the special pen detects tremors that are a symptom of the disease, helping doctors to diagnose the illness. There is no definitive test for Parkinson’s and brain scans that distinguish it from other neurological disorders are expensive.
The pen, which is being trialled at several NHS trusts, would reduce the number of unnecessary scans and ensure that only the patients who need to see a specialist are referred, the maker says.
Heavy lifting raises the risk of retinal detachment — where a tear or hole in the retina at the back of the eye causes it to pull away.
A Swedish study of 49,321 men found those aged 50 to 59 with severe short-sightedness (a risk factor, as the retina is already stretched thinly) were seven times more at risk of detachment when heavy lifting.
Sniffer dogs used to spot bowel cancer
A major trial is under way into whether dogs can diagnose colorectal cancer.
Around 2,000 patients at Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust — some with the disease, the others otherwise healthy — will supply urine and stool samples, and doctors will test whether dogs trained by the charity Medical Detection Dogs can ‘smell’ which patients have cancer.
It is thought they can pick up on the way cancer changes cells, which subtly affects their smell.
Researchers hope this non-invasive method of diagnosis could encourage more people to be tested, which could save lives.
Previous research has found that dogs can be trained to detect prostate cancer using the same method.
New hearts grown on spinach leaves!
Scientists have used spinach leaves to grow human heart tissue.
Researchers at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute in the U.S. stripped the leaves of plant cells, leaving only the vein.
They then placed human heart cells on it and found the spinach leaf vein can transport blood, oxygen and nutrients between the cells because it acts in a similar way to a human heart. The heart cells on the spinach started beating.
The scientists hope to create human heart tissue using layers of spinach leaves covered in heart cells — the tissue could then be transplanted into patients with damaged hearts.
DIY monitor keeps you out of hospital
A new system allowing patients with chronic conditions to monitor their health at home halved the number of calls to the NHS non-emergency number, 111.
It also reduced the number of lung patients’ admissions to hospital by a fifth.
Whzan Telehealth, being trialled in NHS trusts in Newcastle and the Isle of Wight, comes in a portable case and includes devices needed for testing lung function, blood pressure, pulse, urine and temperature.
The device wirelessly transmits readings to the patient’s doctor, who will contact them if a problem is spotted.
It is hoped that the technology will improve the quality of life for patients with long-term conditions, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and diabetes.