For Monday, Nov. 13, WGN’s Dina Bair has new medical information, including:

Lack of sleep can alter insulin levels, increase risk of diabetes

A connection between sleep and diabetes. A lack of sleep can alter insulin levels, according to Columbia University Irving Medical Center researchers, who add that’s why lack of sleep increases diabetes risk in women. 

And it happens fast. In the study, shortening sleep time by about an hour and a half for six weeks increased insulin resistance. 

The effect was even more pronounced in post-menopausal women. 

Previous studies linking diabetes and lack of sleep focused on severe sleep deficits. 

The study showed even relatively small sleep loss time still creates changes in the body that raise the threat of diabetes.   

AI can assist in ovarian cancer therapies

Testing cancer treatments before they begin may be possible thanks to Artificial Intelligence. 

Nature Communications reports on scientists’ use of AI to predict ovarian cancer therapy responses. 

The AI-based model identified future tumor reduction with an 80% accuracy. 

Researchers studied 134 patients. 

AI helped them find patients unlikely to respond to specific therapies. 

The revelation helped them target treatment for optimal survival. 

Kids & anti-viral flu medications

Some new advice for treating flu in kids.  

Doctors say parents should push to get their kids anti-viral treatments for a flu infection. 

Vanderbilt University Medical Center researchers found despite medical studies showing the efficacy of antivirals for flu, pediatricians are not prescribing the treatment. 

Study authors say antiviral treatment, when used early, improves health outcomes for children suffering from the flu. 

The research is published in the journal, Pediatrics.