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Diabetes

How Diabetes Rewires the Heart’s Smallest Vessels
 How Diabetes Rewires the Heart’s Smallest Vessels 1024 597 Lauren Dembeck
By: Lauren Dembeck
Microscopy image of a mouse heart sample colored with red and green fluorescent dye, and marked for single-cell sampling.

A landmark study uncovers how diabetes alters the heart at the cellular level. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in type 2 diabetes. While its effects on large arteries are well recognized, growing evidence suggests the earliest cardiovascular injury occurs in the heart’s smallest vessels. Coronary microvascular disease (CMD), marked by impaired endothelial…

Hot Topics in Endocrinology: A conversation with Joan Han, MD, Division Chief of Endocrinology at Nationwide Children’s
 Hot Topics in Endocrinology: A conversation with Joan Han, MD, Division Chief of Endocrinology at Nationwide Children’s 1024 605 Pam Georgiana
By: Pam Georgiana
Dr. Joan Han standing in a white coat in a hospital setting

Joan C. Han, MD, became chief of the Division of Endocrinology at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in January 2026. She is a nationally recognized physician-scientist in pediatric obesity and metabolic disease. In this Q&A, Dr. Han discusses the most pressing issues in pediatric endocrinology and her vision for advancing clinical care and research at Nationwide Children’s.…

Cardiometabolic Screening Gaps in Pediatric Congenital Heart Disease
 Cardiometabolic Screening Gaps in Pediatric Congenital Heart Disease 1024 683 Pam Georgiana
By: Pam Georgiana

Retrospective review reveals inconsistent HbA1c screening in eligible patients. Pediatric cardiology has achieved remarkable gains in survival for children with congenital heart disease. However, as more patients reach adolescence and adulthood, they are at risk for experiencing acquired cardiovascular and cardiometabolic conditions such as hypertension and diabetes. Little is known about how consistently clinicians identify…

Depression is the New Predictor of Diabetes Control in Teens
 Depression is the New Predictor of Diabetes Control in Teens 1024 683 Pam Georgiana
By: Pam Georgiana
Diabetic girl with an insulin pump connected to her leg

A new study reveals that depressive symptoms, not diabetes-specific stress, forecast long-term glycemic outcomes in adolescents with type 1 diabetes. Managing type 1 diabetes is challenging at any age, but for adolescents, the burden can be especially overwhelming. Previous cross-sectional studies have shown a link between diabetes-specific emotional distress, or the frustration and stress related…

What Pediatric Endocrinologists Need to Know About Diabetes in the Age of GLP-1s
 What Pediatric Endocrinologists Need to Know About Diabetes in the Age of GLP-1s 1024 683 Erin Gregory
By: Erin Gregory

GLP-1 receptor agonists such as Ozempic (semaglutide) offer new opportunities for managing pediatric diabetes and obesity. These medications target insulin resistance and related comorbidities, but their use raises questions about safety, access and ethical considerations. In the following interview, Leena Mamilly, MD, and Rohan K. Henry, MD, pediatric endocrinology experts at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, explore…

What Is Insulin’s Role in Diabetes-Related Urinary Tract Infections?
 What Is Insulin’s Role in Diabetes-Related Urinary Tract Infections? 1024 575 Pam Georgiana
By: Pam Georgiana

Two studies reveal how impaired insulin receptors compromise immunity in people with diabetes. While excess glucose in the urine is often thought to be the main factor behind urinary tract infections in people with diabetes, two recent studies led by Laura L. Schwartz, PhD, principal investigator in the Kidney and Urinary Tract Center at Nationwide…

School-Based Health Equity Initiative Improves T1D Management in Students
 School-Based Health Equity Initiative Improves T1D Management in Students 1024 683 JoAnna Pendergrass, DVM
By: JoAnna Pendergrass, DVM

The Diabetes and School Health program is a school-based health equity initiative that has helped improve Type 1 diabetes management for students and increase confidence among school staff and caregivers in providing diabetes care. Children with Type 1 diabetes (T1D) face myriad daily challenges in managing their disease, which can be compounded if their home…

How Are Insulin Pumps Being Utilized for Patients with Type 1 Diabetes?
 How Are Insulin Pumps Being Utilized for Patients with Type 1 Diabetes? 1024 683 Pam Georgiana
By: Pam Georgiana
Diabetic girl with an insulin pump connected to her leg

A multicenter observational study of 22,000 children and adults shows improving quality of life for patients with type 1 diabetes.    Type 1 diabetes diagnoses are increasing among children, particularly those in racial/ethnic minority groups. New technology, specifically insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) systems, may improve quality of life and long-term outcomes. However,…

Associations Between Blood-Based and Biochemical Markers of Inflammation and Body Mass
 Associations Between Blood-Based and Biochemical Markers of Inflammation and Body Mass 1024 575 Mary Bates, PhD
By: Mary Bates, PhD

Blood-based markers of inflammation increased with increasing body mass in healthy adolescents. The chronic inflammatory disease atherosclerosis has its origins in childhood and adolescence; however, there are currently no simple methods to easily identify at-risk adolescents.  In a new study, researchers at Nationwide Children’s Hospital explored the relationships between blood-based and biochemical markers of inflammation…

NIDDK Grant Awarded to Launch Integrated Islet Distribution Program Islet Isolation Center
 NIDDK Grant Awarded to Launch Integrated Islet Distribution Program Islet Isolation Center 150 150 Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES
By: Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES

A Nationwide Children’s Hospital research team has received federal funding to become a hub for the isolation and distribution of high-quality human islet cells for the diabetes research community. Since joining Nationwide Children’s Hospital in 2022 as director of the Islet Cell Isolation Program, Balamurugan Appakalai, PhD, has been leading one of the nation’s most…

How are Depression, Diabetes Distress and Glycemic Control Related in Adolescents With Type 2 Diabetes?
 How are Depression, Diabetes Distress and Glycemic Control Related in Adolescents With Type 2 Diabetes? 150 150 Mary Bates, PhD
By: Mary Bates, PhD

For adolescents with T2D, obesity and attempts at weight loss may contribute more to depression and diabetes distress than the demands of diabetes management. Diabetes distress is a negative emotional response to living with diabetes, a life-threatening illness that requires chronic, demanding, self-management. It is frequently mistaken for depression and the two are interrelated. Previous…

Old Drug, New Use
 Old Drug, New Use 1024 575 Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES
By: Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES
Nationwide Children's style illustration showing a row of houses with a prescription in front of it

Researchers have discovered an adult diabetes drug may provide a new and better way to treat children  with nephrotic syndrome.  Nephrotic syndrome is one of the most common kidney diseases seen in children. In most cases the cause is unknown. Nephrotic syndrome involves damage to the filtering units of the kidneys (glomeruli) leading to massive…

Identifying Early Urinary Biomarkers of Kidney Damage in Type 1 Diabetes
 Identifying Early Urinary Biomarkers of Kidney Damage in Type 1 Diabetes 150 150 Mary Bates, PhD
By: Mary Bates, PhD

Markers of renal tubule injury and oxidative stress indicate diabetic nephropathy before microalbuminuria. Diabetic nephropathy is a common complication of type 1 diabetes. Traditionally, measurement of microalbuminuria is used to screen children with diabetes for diabetic nephropathy. However, evidence suggests that damage to the kidneys may begin soon after diagnosis, much earlier than microalbuminuria can…

Diabetes Distress Associated With Poor Glycemic Control in Adolescents With Diabetes
 Diabetes Distress Associated With Poor Glycemic Control in Adolescents With Diabetes 1024 683 Mary Bates, PhD
By: Mary Bates, PhD

Screening for diabetes distress, in addition to depression, could benefit adolescents with diabetes. Adolescents with type 1 diabetes are more likely to experience depression than their peers without diabetes, and symptoms of depression can directly impact adherence to diabetes care. Thus, both the American Diabetes Association and International Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Diabetes recommend…

Comprehensive Type 1 Diabetes Wellness Score to Help Patients and Providers
 Comprehensive Type 1 Diabetes Wellness Score to Help Patients and Providers 1024 683 Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES
By: Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES
Device for monitoring glucose placed on girl's arm

A quality improvement effort resulted in the first-known composite score to track multiple clinical indicators of diabetes-related health in patients with Type 1. Despite the traditional use of hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) as the standard metric for diabetes control, it has its shortcomings, such as an incomplete picture of blood sugar variability and hypoglycemia risk. To…

Using Metrics to Improve the Delivery of Optimal Diabetes Care for Children With Type 1 Diabetes
 Using Metrics to Improve the Delivery of Optimal Diabetes Care for Children With Type 1 Diabetes 1024 575 JoAnna Pendergrass, DVM
By: JoAnna Pendergrass, DVM

The Type 1 Diabetes Care Index is a new metric that tracks the delivery of diabetes care, with the goal to reach zero missed opportunities to deliver quality care. The complexity and chronicity of pediatric type 1 diabetes (T1D) necessitate a coordinated, multidisciplinary effort to effectively deliver the optimal standards of diabetes care, as outlined…