The rise of Candida auris embodies a serious and growing public health threat: drug-resistant germs. Last May, an elderly man was admitted to the Brooklyn branch of Mount Sinai Hospital for abdominal surgery. A blood test revealed that he was infected with a newly discovered germ as deadly as it was mysterious. Doctors swiftly isolated him...
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Online cannabis oils contain dangerous amounts of psychoactive THC
By Lois Zoppi, BA Reviewed by Kate Anderton, B.Sc. Although specialist doctors registered with the General Medical Council (GMC) have been allowed to prescribe cannabis-derived medicines since November 2018, a lack of research into their effects is leaving patients open to buying unlicensed products, sometimes containing over 400 times the legal limit of certain key ingredients. Leading...
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FDA-approved drug effectively treats rare chronic immune disorder
A drug approved to treat a severe form of asthma dramatically improved the health of people with rare chronic immune disorders called hypereosinophilic syndromes (HES) in whom other treatments were ineffective or intolerable. This finding comes from a small clinical trial led by scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part...
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First two-drug regimen approved for HIV-1 treatment
(HealthDay)—The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced the approval of Dovato (dolutegravir and lamivudine), the first approved two-drug, fixed-dose, complete regimen for adults with HIV-1 who have not been previously treated with antiretroviral medication. Dovato is indicated for patients with no known or suspected substitutions associated with resistance to the drug’s individual components. As opposed to the standard-of-care three-drug regimen, Dovato provides patients with the option of...
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FDA approves osteoporosis therapy for high-risk postmenopausal women
(HealthDay)—Evenity (romosozumab-aqqg) was approved for the treatment of osteoporosis in postmenopausalwomen with a high risk for fracture, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced. Evenity, a monoclonal antibody, blocks the effects of sclerostin and increases bone formation. It is indicated for use in postmenopausal women who have a history of osteoporotic fracture or risk factors for fracture and those who have failed or developed intolerance to other osteoporosistreatments. ...
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Virtual reality offers benefits for Parkinson’s disease patients
Researchers are reporting early success with a new tool to help people with Parkinson’s disease improve their balance and potentially decrease falls with high-tech help: virtual reality. After practicing with a virtual reality system for six weeks, people with Parkinson’s disease demonstrated improved obstacle negotiation and balance along with more confidence navigating around obstacles in...
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Kidney disease triggers cognitive impairment, even in early stages
ERA-EDTA The link between brain dysfunction and advanced kidney disease was first noted in 1930, so it is not a new finding. Experts spoke of ‘dialysis dementia’ or ‘uremic encephalopathy’. What is new, however, is the finding that mild cognitive impairment (MCI) may already be present in earlier stages of CKD, affecting approximately one in two CKD patients (prevalence varies in studies between...
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Researchers develop new vaccine against deadly Middle East Respiratory Syndrome
by University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston A collaborative team from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Saudi Arabia and Canada developed a potent and safe vaccine that protects against the deadly Middle East respiratory syndrome, or MERS. The findings recently were published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases. MERS was first identified when someone died from the viral infection in 2012. The...
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Inhaled nanoparticles could treat lung cancer
by Queensland University of Technology QUT pharmaceutical scientist Dr. Nazrul Islam, from School of Clinical Sciences, said lung cancer was one of the most common cancers globally and one of the deadliest, being a leading cause of cancer deaths. He said chitosan had long been investigated for drug delivery and medical applications. It is made from refined crustacean (prawns, crabs, lobster) shells and...
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Inflammation linked to chemical imbalance in schizophrenia
by Macquarie University A study published in Molecular Psychiatry has identified changes in inflammation-related biochemical pathways in schizophrenia that interfere with proper brain nerve cell communication. Researchers have found the first direct evidence in support of increased kynurenic acid production in the brain, which is known to block a key glutamate receptor. This discovery paves the way for development of better...