Body
MINNEAPOLIS- December 3, 2020 - University of Minnesota Medical School and UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) researchers found that metformin was associated with significantly reduced COVID-19 death risks in women in one of the world's largest observational studies of COVID-19 patients.
Metformin is an established, generic medication for managing blood sugar levels in patients with type 2 diabetes. It also reduces inflammation proteins like TNF-alpha that appear to make COVID-19 worse.
FAIRFAX, Va.-- The final 2021 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) issued this week by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will result in reimbursement cuts in the range of 10% for neurointerventional procedures, according to a detailed analysis published last week in the Journal of NeuroInterventional Surgery™, the leading international peer-reviewed journal for the clinical field of neurointerventional surgery. Practitioners warn that this measure will jeopardize access to lifesaving care for individuals experiencing strokes, aneurysms and other deadly conditions.
For heavy (ex-)smokers, lung cancer screening using low-dose computed tomography (low-dose CT, LDCT) offers more benefit than harm: The procedure can save a number of people from dying of lung cancer; for some of them, it might also prolong overall survival. This is the conclusion drawn by IQWiG in its final report commissioned by the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA).
Black and Hispanic populations are disproportionately affected by COVID-19, according to a systematic review published this week.
The disparities were likely related to minority populations being at higher risk of exposure to the coronavirus as opposed to underlying health conditions or other factors, according to the review led by researchers at Oregon Health & Science University and the VA Portland Health Care System.
The review confirms health disparities that have been widely reported in a series of observational studies nationwide.
Dec. 4, 2020-- A new study published online in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society discusses a steep drop off from prior years in asthma-related emergency department (ED) visits at Boston Children's Hospital during the spring 2020 COVID-19 surge and lockdown.
Stress hormones and immune cells called neutrophils may contribute to the recurrence of tumors years after treatment by awakening dormant cancer cells, suggests a study of mice and data from 80 patients with lung cancer. The experiments help answer the enduring question of why cancers can return long after seemingly being cured with chemotherapy or surgery; the results also hint that targeting stress hormones with approved drugs known as beta-blockers could potentially help prevent tumors from returning.
Targeted therapies are currently available for about one-third of people with lung adenocarcinoma, the most common kind of lung cancer. These drugs inhibit cancer cells by thwarting the molecular changes that drive them to grow while largely sparing healthy tissues. But for the other two-thirds of people with this type of cancer, there are fewer treatment options.
OAK BROOK, Ill. - Automated deep learning analysis of abdominal CT images produces a more precise measurement of body composition and predicts major cardiovascular events, such as heart attack and stroke, better than overall weight or body mass index (BMI), according to a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).
INDIANAPOLIS -- Returning home after a stay in the hospital and a skilled nursing facility is often overwhelming. New research from Regenstrief Institute and Indiana University shows that individualized treatment plans and instructions would be beneficial to both patients and their caregivers.
MORGANTOWN, W. Va.--Large-scale behavior change is a critical component when it comes to mitigating the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. But, as one West Virginia University researcher points out, it can also be leveraged to address a separate, yet, equally important, persistent public health crisis: gun violence in our nation's schools.
Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have found that a combination of exercise and mindfulness training can help reduce fatigue in breast cancer survivors. The results from their preliminary trials might be useful in designing interventions for other cancer patients.
The study "Acute effects of aerobic exercise and relaxation training on fatigue in breast cancer survivors: A feasibility trial" was published in Psycho-Oncology.
CLEVELAND, Ohio (December 2, 2020)--Women being treated for cancer often experience menopause quite suddenly with common symptoms, such as hot flashes, amplified more than had menopause occurred naturally. A new study suggests that the intensity and volume of physical activity could mitigate some of those symptoms. Study results are published online in Menopause, the journal of The North American Menopause Society (NAMS).
DALLAS, Dec. 2, 2020 -- Lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) adults who may benefit from cholesterol-lowering medicine to prevent cardiovascular disease are less likely than non-LGB adults to take them, according to new research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access journal of the American Heart Association.
Bottom Line: Among patients with lung cancer from Latin America, genomic and ancestry analyses revealed that Native American ancestry was associated with increased mutations in the EGFR gene, independent of smoking status.
Journal in Which the Study was Published: Cancer Discovery, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research
The chip, developed at Imperial College London and known as TriSilix, is a 'micro laboratory' which performs a miniature version of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) on the spot. PCR is the gold-standard test for detecting viruses and bacteria in biological samples such as bodily fluids, faeces, or environmental samples.
Although PCR is usually performed in a laboratory, which means test results aren't immediately available, this new lab-on-a-chip can process and present results in a matter of minutes.