In one of the largest clinical studies to ever examine the impact of using a blood test to detect treatable mutations in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), researchers from the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania found that they could identify significantly more mutations through liquid biopsy instead of a solid tissue biopsy alone. The findings also show that patients whose actionable mutations were detected by the blood-based liquid biopsy responded favorably to targeted therapies. Overall,...
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Halobetasol propionate lotion shows efficacy for Tx of psoriasis
Lawrence J. Green, M.D., from George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and colleagues randomized (2:1) 430 patients to receive halobetasol propionate Lotion or vehicle once daily for eight weeks, with assessments at two, four, six, and eight weeks of treatment as well as at a four-week post-treatment follow-up visit. (HealthDay)—Halobetasol propionate 0.01 percent lotion (BRYHALI Lotion) appears safe and effective...
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Benzodiazepines in patients with COPD and PTSD may increase suicide risk
AMERICAN THORACIC SOCIETY Oct. 12, 2018–Long-term use of benzodiazepine medications in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, as well as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may lead to increased suicide risk, according to a study published online in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society. IMAGE: COMORBID COPD AND PTSD PATIENTS TREATED FOR LONG PERIOD WITH BENZOS AT INCREASED SUICIDE RISK. CREDIT: ATS In “Risks of Benzodiazepines in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary...
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How a common drug causes liver failure
Acetaminophen kicks off widespread glutathionylation, researchers find AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY Acetaminophen is a common pain reliever found in every pharmacy. However, it is also the No. 1 cause of acute liver failure in the United States. In the liver, acetaminophen is converted into a new compound that covalently binds to proteins...
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How the brain learns during sleep
Researchers from Ruhr-Universität Bochum and the University of Bonn have investigated which activity patterns occur in the brain when people remember or forget things. They were interested in how the brain replays and stores during sleep what it had learned before. The team recorded the brain activity of epilepsy patients who had electrodes implanted into...
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Team develops a universal vaccine platform that’s cheaper and shelf stable
Researchers at The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston have developed less expensive way to produce vaccines that cuts the costs of vaccine production and storage by up to 80 percent without decreasing safety or effectiveness. The findings are currently available in EBioMedicine. Credit: University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston Vaccines are the...
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Scientists create new map of brain region linked to Alzheimer’s disease
Curing some of the most vexing diseases first requires navigating the world’s most complex structure—the human brain. So, USC scientists have created the most detailed atlas yet of the brain‘s memory bank. Cartographers of the cranium, a USC research team has illustrated the internal circuitry of the hippocampus in detail that would make the great...
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Magnetoferritin: a new effective marker for tumor diagnosis and treatment?
A novel magnetoferritin-based method allows doctors to more accurately diagnose malignant cells, providing additional opportunities for cancer treatments. One major problem in diagnostic radiology today is the lack of accuracy due to insufficient contrast between the cells of interest and the background environment. Before taking MRIs, small quantities of ‘contrast agents’ are typically added to...
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Neuron death in ALS more complex than previously thought
Brown University researchers have uncovered new clues about the progression of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), a surprisingly common disease that causes the death of motor neurons that control voluntary muscles such as those involved in walking, talking, chewing or breathing. A team led by Anne Hart, a professor of neuroscience at Brown, discovered that two...
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MU, MIT researchers show effectiveness of new noninvasive blood glucose test
Device uses laser technology to detect glucose levels under the skin, an alternative to painful pricking UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-COLUMBIA For those living with diabetes, monitoring blood glucose accurately is necessary to prevent diabetes-related complications such as heart attacks, blindness and coma. Researchers from the University of Missouri School of Medicine and the Massachusetts Institute of...