(HealthDay)—The combination chemotherapy drug Vyxeos (daunorubicin and cytarabine) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as the first treatment for certain high-risk types of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). AML is an aggressive blood cancer that forms in the bone marrow. “Vyxeos combines two commonly used chemotherapies into a single formulation that may help...
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FDA approves Mavyret for Hepatitis C
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Mavyret (glecaprevir and pibrentasvir) to treat adults with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes 1-6 without cirrhosis (liver disease) or with mild cirrhosis, including patients with moderate to severe kidney disease and those who are on dialysis. Mavyret is also approved for adult patients with HCV genotype...
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Common allergy drugs may prevent blood clots
Deep vein thrombosis is a dangerous yet preventable condition. Conventional treatment poses a serious risk of bleeding, but a new study offers hope for a different therapeutic approach and prevention strategy. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that up to 900,000 people in the United States live with deep vein thrombosis(DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE). It is...
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Researchers Have Found a Drug That Can Help Slow the Spread of Multiple Cancers
IN BRIEF Scientists working with Cancer Research UK have discovered that a drug developed to treat organ fibrosis can block an enzyme that assists in the spread of cancer cells. In tests conducted on mice, it was able to reduce the size of tumors by up to 50 percent. SLOWING DOWN CANCER Cancer is one...
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Fluticasone furoate slows loss of lung function in COPD
(HealthDay)—Regular use of fluticasone furoate (FF), either alone or in combination with vilanterol (VI), appears to reduce the rate of forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) decline in patients with moderate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and a high risk of cardiovascular disease, according to a study published online July 24 in the American Journal...
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Scientists Restore Youthful Plasticity to the Brains of Adult Mice
Like much of the rest of the body, the brain loses flexibility with age, impacting the ability to learn, remember, and adapt. Now, scientists at University of Utah Health report they can rejuvenate the plasticity of the mouse brain, specifically in the visual cortex, increasing its ability to change in response to experience. Manipulating a...
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The cells responsible for our allergies
A type of immune cell called TH2 has posed a puzzle for scientists: The cells help fight off invaders, but they also seem to be involved in the immune freakout that leads to allergic reactions. But in a study published in Science Translational Medicine, researchers identify the subtype of TH2 cell — what they call a TH2A cell — that appears to...
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Scientists Reversed Glaucoma in Mice With the Help of a Single Gene
The Ingenious Gene Glaucoma is a devastating disease of the eye that is typically associated with aging. It’s the leading cause of blindness, along with cataracts, affecting 70 million people worldwide. Specifically, glaucoma comes from the deterioration of retinal nerve ganglion cells. There is currently no cure. For the first time, scientists at the Vision Institute (Sorbonne University) and...
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Immune Cells May Be Key to Better Allergy, Infection Therapies
ITHACA, N.Y. – By learning how a recently discovered immune cell works in the body, researchers hope to one day harness the cells to better treat allergies and infections, according to new Cornell University research. Type 1 regulatory (Tr1) cells are a type of regulatory immune cell that help suppress immune responses, including inflammation and...
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PD-L1 – Immunotherapy: Unleashing the body to fight cancer
The discovery of a cell protein reveals a new way of harnessing the power of the immune system to fight cancer. Immune checkpoint inhibitors are now showing promise against a wide variety of cancers. Background: The notion that the human immune system can be enlisted to fight cancer has a long history in medical science,...