By KATE SHERIDAN — STAT @sheridan_kate and JONATHAN SALTZMAN — BOSTON GLOBEJULY 20, 2018 The Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved the first drug in a brand-new class of treatments for acute myeloid leukemia. The drug, ivosidenib — developed by Cambridge-based Agios Pharmaceuticals— is a once-daily pill that might replace chemotherapy for some people with refractory or...
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EyeQue Insight Visual Acuity Screener: A Medgadget Review
Every year, our “screen time” continues to increase as our gadgets get bigger and brighter. According to the Vision Council, our digital devices are causing 60.5% of Americans to report symptoms of digital eye strain, and it’s uncertain how these devices will affect our vision long-term. Aside from taking frequent breaks from our devices, reducing screen...
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New findings suggest allergic responses may protect against skin cancer
The components of the immune system that trigger allergic reactions may also help protect the skin against cancer, suggest new findings. Image: Human skin cancer cells (blue) with IgE antibody Bound to them (red). Credit: Imperial College LondonThe research, led by Imperial College London, highlights previously unknown skin defences—and could open avenues for developing new skin cancer...
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Brain scans yield more clues to autism
July 17, 2018, by Amy Norton, HealthDay Reporter (HealthDay)—Children with autism show abnormalities in a deep brain circuit that typically makes socializing enjoyable, a new study finds. Using MRI brain scans, researchers found that kids with autism showed differences in the structure and function of a brain circuit called the mesolimbic reward pathway.That circuit, located...
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Retooled vaccine raises hopes as a lower-cost treatment for Type 1 diabetes
July 17, 2018 by Carmen Heredia Rodriguez, Kaiser Health News For Hodalis Gaytan, 20, living with Type 1 diabetes means depending on an assortment of expensive medicines and devices to stay healthy. Test strips. Needles. A glucose meter. Insulin. Credit: CC0 Public Domain The increasing cost of Type 1 diabetes, one of the most common...
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Brain iron levels may predict multiple sclerosis disabilities
July 17, 2018, Radiological Society of North America A new, highly accurate MRI technique can monitor iron levels in the brains of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and help identify those at a higher risk for developing a physical disability, according to a study published in the journalRadiology. Image shows voxelwise analysis of quantitative susceptibility maps within...
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Omega-3-derived cannabinoid may stop cancer
New research suggests that the body’s natural pain-killer, the “endocannabinoid system,” may also have cancer-fighting properties when “activated” by omega-3 fatty acids. Our bodies have an “endogenous,” or “built-in,” pain-killing system named after the cannabis plant: the endogenous cannabinoid system, otherwise known as the endocannabinoid system. Endocannabinoids are molecules that, together with their receptors, can...
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Study shows that people most affected by alcohol also most impacted by sleep deprivation
July 17, 2018, by Bob Yirka, Medical Xpress A team of researchers from the German Aerospace Center and Forschungszentrum Jülich has found that people who are most susceptible to alcohol intoxication are also most susceptible to cognitive problems due to sleep deprivation. In their paper published inProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the group...
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FDA Recalls Common High Blood Pressure Drug With Valsartan Due To Cancer-Causing Ingredient
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration conducts a voluntary recall of several drugs used to treat high blood pressure and heart conditions due to active ingredient valsartan. FDA announced a voluntary recall of common heart drug with the active ingredient valsartan. The announcement was made a week after 22 countries had conducted their separate recalls of the...
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New drug target for remyelination in MS is identified
July 17, 2018 by Ellen Goldbaum, University at Buffalo Remyelination, the spontaneous regeneration of the fatty insulator in the brain that keeps neurons communicating, has long been seen as crucial to the next big advance in treating multiple sclerosis (MS). However, a lack of understanding of how remyelination is stymied in the disease has hampered these...