FDA CLEARS TWO GLUCOSE TEST METERS
FDA has cleared for marketing two glucose test meters used with personal digital assistants (PDAs).

The devices will allow people with diabetes to more easily track and manage their blood sugar levels through use of computer technology.

The products, which have two components with associated software, integrate parts of each company's currently marketed glucose meters and test strips with a Handspring Visor PDA.
To use, the patient inserts a glucose meter module into the hand-held computer. The user then inserts a test strip into the meter, collects a blood sample, and places it onto the test strip. The hand-held computer reads the glucose levels from the measurement module, displays the results, and stores the information in an electronic database. The test results can also be uploaded onto a personal computer.

In addition to measuring and tracking glucose levels, the new systems allow users to track a variety of other data that may affect their health, such as insulin usage, food intake, exercise, and medicine.

Definition:
A glucose test measures the amount of sugar (glucose) in the blood.

How the test is performed:

Blood is drawn from a vein (venipuncture), usually from the inside of the elbow or the back of the hand. The puncture site is cleaned with antiseptic, and a tourniquet (an elastic band) or blood pressure cuff is placed around the upper arm to apply pressure and restrict blood flow through the vein. This causes veins below the tourniquet to distend (fill with blood).
A needle is inserted into the vein, and the blood is collected in an airtight vial or a syringe. During the procedure, the tourniquet is removed to restore circulation. Once the blood has been collected, the needle is removed, and the puncture site is covered to stop any bleeding.

Infant or young child:
The area is cleansed with antiseptic and punctured with a sharp needle or a lancet. The blood may be collected in a pipette (small tube), on a slide, onto a test strip, or into a small container. Cotton or a bandage may be applied to the puncture site if there is any continued bleeding.

The more you understand about any subject, the more interesting it becomes. As you read this article you'll find that the subject of glucose test is certainly no exception.
A scientist in Baltimore has developed a contact lens that can provide diabetics with a non-invasive way to monitor blood sugar.

Instead of using blood, Dr. Chris Geddes of the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute has produced contact lenses that change color in response to the glucose level in the wearer's tears, KENS-TV in San Antonio reports.

Tears have a tiny concentration of glucose, about 1-10th of that of blood and there's a lag time of about 15 minutes before the eye registers the level.

"We've developed very special molecules that sense glucose at very low levels," said Geddes. "We've incorporated these inside commercially available contact lenses. The test is completely non-invasive and it's continuous."

Truthfully, the only difference between you and glucose test experts is time. If you'll invest a little more time in reading, you'll be that much nearer to expert status when it comes to glucose test.

A person wearing the glucose-sensitive lenses would see a small translucent dot on the left side of the visual field. That dot would change color, warning the patient of dangerously low or high blood sugar levels.

Before the lenses can be commercially available, further testing is needed.
The Baltimore scientists are also working on contact lenses that sense cholesterol levels.

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