Capsaicin: A Therapeutic Option for Painful Diabetic Neuropathy

Fifteen patients with diabetes mellitus who had painful diabetic neuropalhy (PDN) were enrolled in a double-blind study to test the safety and efficacy of capsaicin 0.075% (Axsain, Genderm, Northbrook, IL). Twelve of the 15 patients completed the eight-week sludy. Nine of the 12 patients reported symptomatic relief; of these nine, five used the drug and four used the vehicle. The three patients who reported no relief of symptoms applied the vehicle. Capsaicin is potentially effective when burning pain is a major symptom of PDN. The side effects of capsaicin were limited and minimal. This agent should be considered by clinicians for treatment of PDN

Experience with Biosynthetic Human Insulin in Diabetes

Thirty diabetic patients new to insulin were entered in an open label prospective study of biosynthetic human insulin (BHI). All patients experienced symptomatic control of diabetes attributable to dietary and BHI insulin therapy. Detailed six-month evaluation data were reviewed in 19 patients. A significant drop in fasting plasma glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin was noted at two months, and a further modest decrease occurred at six months. E. coli polypeptide antibodies were unchanged from baseline at six months, indicating that no bacterial protein contamination of BHI occurred. Percent binding of serum antibodies to human insulin measured in 19 patients at baseline and at six months showed a statistically significant increase in mean value without accompanying clinical symptoms. Clinical hypoglycemia did not differ from that seen in patients who received animal insulin. Biosynthetic human insulin appears comparable in clinical efficacy and safety to purified pork insulin. Ongoing studies will be required to determine whether BHI is less immunogenic than purified pork insulin

The James Webb Space Telescope Mission

Twenty-six years ago a small committee report, building on earlier studies, expounded a compelling and poetic vision for the future of astronomy, calling for an infrared-optimized space telescope with an aperture of at least $4m$. With the support of their governments in the US, Europe, and Canada, 20,000 people realized that vision as the $6.5m$ James Webb Space Telescope. A generation of astronomers will celebrate their accomplishments for the life of the mission, potentially as long as 20 years, and beyond. This report and the scientific discoveries that follow are extended thank-you notes to the 20,000 team members. The telescope is working perfectly, with much better image quality than expected. In this and accompanying papers, we give a brief history, describe the observatory, outline its objectives and current observing program, and discuss the inventions and people who made it possible. We cite detailed reports on the design and the measured performance on orbit.Comment: Accepted by PASP for the special issue on The James Webb Space Telescope Overview, 29 pages, 4 figure