Body
Singapore, 21 November 2018 - Misconceptions about the use of strong opioids showed to undermine optimal pain control among Asian cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and radiotherapy according to a cross-sectional survey conducted at the Sarawak General Hospital in Malaysia. (1)
A team of scientists at Boston Children's Hospital has developed the first modeling system for testing age-specific human immune responses to vaccines -- outside the body. The practical, cost-effective new platform, using all human components, is expected to accelerate and de-risk the development, assessment and selection of vaccines.
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) scientists have developed a 'contact lens' patch with microneedles that could provide a painless and efficient alternative to current methods of treating eye diseases such as glaucoma and macular degeneration.
Both aspirin and a purified omega-3, called EPA, reduce the number of pre-cancerous polyps in patients found to be at high risk of developing bowel cancer, according to new research.
A clinical trial, led by the University of Leeds, found that both aspirin and EPA reduced the number of bowel polyps in patients one year on from a screening colonoscopy (large bowel camera test), although they did not reduce the chances of an individual having any polyps present in the bowel.
Patients who have persistently high levels of inflammation following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for coronary artery disease are significantly more likely to die from any cause or to have a heart attack within a year, according to a study of 7,026 patients published in the European Heart Journal [1].
Myotubular myopathy is a severe genetic disease that leads to muscle paralysis from birth and results in death before two years of age. Although no treatment currently exists, researchers from the University of Geneva (UNIGE), Switzerland, - working in collaboration with the University of Strasbourg, France, - have identified a molecule that not only greatly reduces the progression of the disease but also boosts life expectancy in animal models by a factor of seven.
In 2017, the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association released new blood pressure guidelines, lowering hypertension threshold to 130/80 mm Hg from the previous 140/90 mm Hg. A new study predicts that achieving and maintaining the 2017 guideline blood pressure goals could prevent more than 3 million cardiovascular disease events over ten years. The results of the study will appear online in the November 19 issue of Circulation.
The tissues in our bodies largely are made of fluid. It moves around cells and is essential to normal body function.
But in some cases, this fluid may be doing more harm than good.
In people who have glioblastoma, the deadliest form of brain cancer, this fluid has a much higher pressure, causing it to move fast and forcing cancer cells to spread. And a common cancer therapy, which inserts a drug directly into the tumor with a catheter, can make this fluid move even faster.
SEATTLE (November 18, 2018, 1:45 pm PDT) - The final research results for a new treatment for protection against accidental exposure to peanut was presented today at the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) Annual Scientific Meeting and published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The results show it is possible for some people with peanut allergy to protect themselves from accidental ingestion by building up their tolerance to peanut over time.
SEATTLE (November 16, 2018) - If you've suffered with severe atopic dermatitis (eczema) for a long time and have tried what you think is every available option for relief, you may want to consider allergy shots. A medically-challenging case being presented at the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) Annual Scientific Meeting found that allergy shots provided significant benefits to the eczema symptoms suffered by a 48-year-old man.
SEATTLE (November 16, 2018) - It's well established that secondhand smoke from cigarettes is a risk to anyone who suffers from asthma. New research being presented at the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) Annual Scientific Meeting shows it's possible for both children and adults with uncontrolled asthma to find their symptoms worsening due to cannabis allergy and exposure to marijuana smoke.
Over 30 years ago, Marsha and Allen Barnett lost their sons to a puzzling childhood disease that relentlessly attacked their nervous systems and sapped their energy. After five-year-old Chuckie died suddenly in 1981, doctors provided a name for the disease: Leigh syndrome. Leigh syndrome is a complex disorder typically caused by dysfunctional mitochondria, the tiny batteries inside all cells that generate our energy.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Diabetes can lead to ulcers that patients don't even feel or notice until the sight of blood. And because ulcers can't heal on their own, 14 to 24 percent of diabetics in the U.S. who experience them end up losing their toes, foot or leg.
Purdue University researchers have developed a shoe insole that could help make the healing process more portable for the 15 percent of Americans who develop ulcers as a result of diabetes.
Although the absolute risk increase is small, the findings expand on current knowledge and quantify the risk of serious adverse events potentially linked to this group of drugs, say the researchers.
SGLT2 inhibitors are increasingly popular drugs for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. They lower blood glucose levels by increasing glucose loss through the kidneys, but concerns have been raised regarding their safety.
A 15-minute scan could help diagnose brain damage in babies up to two years earlier than current methods.
In a study of over 200 babies at seven hospitals across the UK and the USA, researchers found the brain scan, called magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy, predicted damage with 98 per cent accuracy.
Brain damage affects around one in 300 births in the UK, and is usually caused by oxygen deprivation. However, currently doctors are unable to accurately assess the extent of a newborn baby's brain damage.