Arthritis flares – the unpredictable and often sudden worsening of arthritis symptoms—can be debilitating. These episodes can make the management of inflammatory arthritis, which includes rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis, challenging for patients and physicians. But investigators at Brigham and Women’s Hospital have found that flares may also represent an important opportunity for improving treatment...
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Mifepristone may halt growth of intracranial tumor that causes hearing loss
Massachusetts Eye and Ear researchers have shown that mifepristone, a drug currently FDA-approved for chemical abortion, prevents the growth of vestibular schwannoma (also known as acoustic neuroma) cells. This sometimes-lethal intracranial tumor typically causes hearing loss and tinnitus. The findings, published online today in Scientific Reports, suggest that mifepristone is a promising drug candidate to be...
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Exome Meta-Analysis Uncovers Copious Prostate Cancer Drivers
NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – A new meta-analysis of prostate cancer exomes has identified dozens of potential driver genes, including genes mutated in just a fraction of the cancer cases considered. In an effort to expand on prior genomic studies of prostate cancer, researchers from the US and UK used the same analytical strategy to assess...
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New receptor genes turn T-cells into powerful liver cancer foes
CREDIT: PHIL JONES, SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER, AUGUSTA UNIVERSITY AUGUSTA, Ga. (April 3, 2018) – Mouse genes that make human T cells powerful at fighting liver cancer could one day help patients do the same, scientists report. Georgia Cancer Center scientists exposed mice genetically manipulated to respond to human antigens to a common antigen found in human...
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How to manage a nickel allergy
A nickel allergy occurs when a person has an adverse reaction to a food or object containing nickel. Allergic contact dermatitis occurs when a red, itchy rash develops on skin that has touched an allergen. An allergy to nickel is among the most common causes of this reaction. Rashes often occur on the earlobes or wrists, because...
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Study finds brain differences in athletes playing contact vs. non contact sports
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — A study from researchers at Indiana University in the journal NeuroImage: Clinical has found differences in the brains of athletes who participate in contact sports compared to those who participate in non-contact sports. The differences were observed as both groups were given a simple visual task. The results could suggest that a history of...
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Practicing Tai Chi helps improve respiratory function in patients with COPD
Finding ways to help patients with COPD improve their functional status is an area of interest for pulmonary healthcare providers. Currently, pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) is used where available to improve exercise capacity and quality of life, but the treatment requires access to trained staff and specialized facilities. A new study in the journal CHEST looked at Tai Chi as...
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Resistance exercise improves insulin resistance, glucose levels
A new study suggests that resistance exercise may improve indicators of type 2 diabetes by increasing expression of a protein that regulates blood sugar (glucose) absorption in the body. The paper, published ahead of print in the American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism, was chosen as an APSselect article for April. People with type 2 diabetes...
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Do probiotics actually do anything?
The supplement aisles of most grocery stores and pharmacies in the United States are bursting with probiotics. These billions of bacteria stuffed into once-a-day capsules claim to provide digestive relief, among other benefits. They’re extremely popular, with sales of $36.6 billion in 2015. And for good reason. For many people, various gastrointestinal issues come and go pretty...
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Tolerating yourself: A novel pathway to regulate B cell activity and prevent autoimmunity
The immune system is responsible for protecting the host from foreign pathogens; however, there are many diseases — known as autoimmune diseases — that result from the immune system attacking the host. The immune system has several strategies to prevent this, known as tolerance, and researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) have...