The risk of developing melanoma is significantly multiplied for people who have red hair and more than 20 large moles, University of Queensland researchers have found. People with these physical traits have a one in four chance of developing the disease in their lifetime. The study also showed that people without red hair, but who...
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Diabetes impairs multipotent stromal cell antibacterial activity
New Rochelle, NY, March 4, 2019-A new study reveals that the multipotent stromal cells (MSCs) of persons with diabetes have diminished capacity to fight off bacterial infection, providing new understanding into the basis of diabetes-associated immune dysfunction. The research is published in Stem Cells and Development, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers....
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Lilly will sell a version of its popular insulin at half the price, but will this appease critics?
By ED SILVERMAN @Pharmalot MARCH 4, 2019 As drug makers come under increasing pressure to lower prices, Eli Lilly (LLY) is trying to thread a needle by introducing a new version of insulin at half the list price. Specifically, the product is a so-called authorized generic version of the Humalog insulin, which means the medicine is identical to the brand-name...
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MMR vaccine does not cause autism, another study confirms
(CNN)The measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine does not increase the risk of autism and does not trigger autism in children who are at risk, according to a new study of over 650,000 children. Researchers used a population registry to evaluate whether the MMR vaccine increased the risk of autism in children born in Denmark between...
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Self-sterilizing microneedles revolutionizing vaccination and drug delivery
Vaccinations are the world’s frontline defence against infectious diseases yet despite decades of interventions, unsafe injection practices continue to expose billions of people to serious infection and disease. Now, new technology from the University of South Australia is revolutionising safe vaccination practices through antibacterial, silver-loaded dissolvable microneedle patches, which not only sterilise the injection site to inhibit the growth of bacteria,...
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Too few seniors are getting their memory tested
That finding is in sharp contrast to those who receive assessments for other common health issues. Ninety-one percent of seniors said they were regularly checked for blood pressure, and 83 percent said their cholesterol levels were routinely tested. “Both doctors and patients have a strong belief that cognitive assessment is important, but there’s a disconnect...
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Low-dose aspirin does not cut death from prostate cancer
Charlotte Skriver, from the Danish Cancer Society Research Center in Copenhagen, and colleagues used a nationwide data registry to assess the association between postdiagnosis use of low-dose aspirin (at least two prescriptions [75 to 150 mg] filled within one year after prostate cancer diagnosis) and prostate cancer mortality. The authors note that 29,136 patients were diagnosed from 2000 through 2011. During a median of 4.9 years...
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No link found between MMR vaccine and autism, even among children with other risk factors for autism
A nationwide cohort study of all children born in Denmark to Danish-born mothers between 1999 through 2010 concluded that the mumps, measles, and rubella (MMR) vaccine does not increase the risk of autism, does not trigger autism in susceptible children, and is not associated with clustering of autism cases following vaccination. The findings are published in Annals of Internal Medicine. The hypothesized link between measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine and autism continues to cause concern and challenge vaccine uptake....
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Biomedical Beat Blog – National Institute of General Medical Sciences – 5 good fats
On this day, celebrated in many countries with lavish parties and high-fat foods, we’re recognizing the importance of fats in the body. You’ve probably heard about different types of fat, such as saturated, trans, monounsaturated, omega-3, and omega-6. But fats aren’t just ingredients in food. Along with similar molecules, they fall under the broad term...
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A Simple Blood Test Is as Effective as a Biopsy in Detecting Lung Cancer Mutations
Biopsies are a necessary burden for people with cancer. Taking a small sample of tissue and sending it through genetic and molecular analysis can help doctors not just diagnose cancer, but also learn more about its inner workings to find the best treatments based on which mutations are feeding the disease. But tissue biopsies are...