In a society where physical activity is limited and food supply is abundant, metabolic
diseases are becoming a serious epidemic. Metabolic syndrome (MetS) represents a cluster …

The pancreas is made from two distinct components: the exocrine pancreas, a reservoir of
digestive enzymes, and the endocrine islets, the source of the vital metabolic hormone …

Background Plasma insulin levels are predominantly the product of the morphological mass
of insulin producing beta cells in the pancreatic islets of Langerhans and the functional …

Islets of Langerhans are islands of endocrine cells scattered throughout the pancreas. A
number of new studies have pointed to the potential for conversion of non-β islet cells in to …

Mice remain the most studied animal model in pancreas research. Since the findings of this
research are typically extrapolated to humans, it is important to understand both similarities …

Descriptions of insulitis in human islets throughout the natural history of type 1 diabetes are
limited. We determined insulitis frequency (the percent of islets displaying insulitis to total …

Abstract Types 1 and 2 diabetes affect some 380 million people worldwide. Both ultimately
result from a deficiency of functional pancreatic insulin-producing beta cells. Beta cells …

Nearly a quarter of older adults in the US have type 2 diabetes, and this population is
continuing to increase with the aging of the population. Older adults are at high risk for the …

The treatment of obesity and cardiovascular diseases is one of the most difficult and
important challenges nowadays. Weight loss is frequently offered as a therapy and is aimed …

Abstract Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) results when increases in beta cell function and/or mass
cannot compensate for rising insulin resistance. Numerous studies have documented the …