What Researchers Did
Researchers investigated the effect of autologous bone marrow stem cell transplantation combined with hyperbaric oxygen treatment on 31 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
What They Found
Mean HbA1c values significantly decreased by over 1.5% (from 8.7% to 7.1%) within 30 days after transplantation. This reduction then stabilized, fluctuating within 0.5% until 24 months. C-peptide levels also significantly increased at 90 days post-therapy (P < 0.0001) compared to baseline.
What This Means for Canadian Patients
This experimental treatment for type 2 diabetes mellitus showed initial improvements in blood sugar control and pancreatic function. While promising, this is not a standard therapy and requires further research before it could be considered for Canadian patients.
Canadian Relevance
This study has no direct Canadian connection as it was conducted in China.
Study Limitations
Limitations include the small sample size of 31 patients and the observation that initial improvements in HbA1c and C-peptide were not continuously sustained over the entire follow-up.