Some men benefit from an earlier cancer diagnosis; however, more men are at risk of overdiagnosis and treatment-related complications; studies have yet to show whether a risk-adapted approach will affect this conclusion The benefit of population-based PSA screening for men with an average risk of prostate cancer does not outweigh the harm caused. This is...
Month: <span>June 2020</span>
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A roadmap for effective treatment of COVID-19
Due to the devastating worldwide impact of COVID-19, the illness caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, there has been unprecedented efforts by clinicians and researchers from around the world to quickly develop safe and effective treatments and vaccines. Given that COVID-19 is a complex new disease with no existing vaccine or specific treatment, much effort is...
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Next frontier in bacterial engineering
PRINT E-MAIL From bacteria-made insulin that obviates the use of animal pancreases to a better understanding of infectious diseases and improved treatments, genetic engineering of bacteria has redefined modern medicine. Yet, serious limitations remain that hamper| progress in numerous other areas. A decades-old bacterial engineering technique called recombineering (recombination-mediated genetic engineering) allows scientists to scarlessly...
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Immunotherapy for bowel cancer could change clinical practice
A large international trial involving UCL and University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH) has found that pembrolizumab, a form of immunotherapy, more than doubled the ‘progression free survival’ time of patients with a specific subtype of advanced bowel cancer, when compared with chemotherapy. ‘Progression free survival’ is the length of time during and...
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Blood test as a potential new weapon in the fight to eliminate malaria
Development and validation of serological markers for detecting recent Plasmodium vivax infection Plasmodium vivax is the most widespread malaria parasite worldwide, with up to two billion people at risk of infection. As well as causing illness and death in its ‘active’ stage of infection, the parasite can hide as hypnozoites, a dormant stage, in the...
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An imbalance of electrons in the liver may be a common risk factor for disease
by Massachusetts General Hospital Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital have uncovered an unexpected connection between an imbalance of electrons in liver cells and many metabolic problems that increase the risk for conditions such as cardiovascular disease and fatty liver disease. Their findings, published in the journal Nature, shine a light on the phenomenon known as...
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Blocking tumor signals can hinder cancer’s spread
by University of Pennsylvania For most people who die of cancer, the spread of the initial tumor is to blame. “Metastasis is what kills most cancer patients,” says Serge Fuchs, a professor in Penn’s School of Veterinary Medicine. “Yet there are not many, if any, drugs that specifically target metastatic processes.” In a paper in...
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Nilotinib appears safe and affects biomarkers in Alzheimer’s disease clinical trial
by Georgetown University Medical Center A Georgetown University Medical Center clinical trial investigating the cancer drug nilotinib in people with Alzheimer’s disease finds that it is safe and well-tolerated, and researchers say the drug should be tested in a larger study to further determine its safety and efficacy as a potential disease-modifying strategy. The results...
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Cancer, coronavirus are a dangerous mix, new studies find
by Marilynn Marchione This electron microscope image made available and color-enhanced by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Integrated Research Facility in Fort Detrick, Md., shows Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 virus particles, orange, isolated from a patient. Research released on Thursday, May 28, 2020 shows how dangerous the coronavirus is for current and former...
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Analysis of COVID-19 autopsies reveals many new details about this disease
by The Mount Sinai Hospital Pathologists at The Mount Sinai Hospital, at the epicenter of the COVID-19 global pandemic, have prepared one of the largest, most comprehensive analysis of autopsies of COVID-19 victims to date, revealing many complex new details about the disease. The analysis was released on the preprint server MedRxiv. “An essential contribution...