Epigenetic drugs that have shown promise in cancer trials significantly reduce scarring in the cells of patients with scleroderma, an incurable and life-threatening autoimmune disease, a new study shows. Scleroderma is a chronic disease that affects the immune system, causing a buildup of scar-like tissues in the skin and internal organs known as fibrosis. This process...
Month: <span>May 2022</span>
Post
Nanomedicine targeting lymph nodes key to triple-negative breast cancer treatment
Research from the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center could provide a new approach to treating an aggressive form of breast cancer. A study led by Duxin Sun, Ph.D., found that targeting the immune microenvironment in lymph nodes and tumors simultaneously led to long-term tumor remission in mice models of metastatic triple-negative breast cancer. Further, using nanoparticles to deliver these...
Post
A fuzzy response from memory B cells can protect against mutant viruses
UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM Specialised memory cells found in our immune system play an important role in our ability to fight virus mutations such as those produced by the SARS-CoV2 virus, according to research at the University of Birmingham. So-called virus escape mutants are variants of a virus which are typically produced when the body’s immune...
Post
Sizing Up the Decisions of Older Adults
By Paula Span May 9, 2022 The Interview for Decisional Abilities, or IDA, was developed by two geriatricians to help train Adult Protective Services workers in how to gather information about a client’s decision-making ability. Credit…Lindsey Wasson/Reuters During a recent Zoom conference call, four Adult Protective Services workers from California, using a tool called the...
Post
The American College of Medical Genetics and genomics publishes clinical practice resource on hearing loss
AMERICAN COLLEGE OF MEDICAL GENETICS AND GENOMICS The American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) has released a new Clinical Practice Resource that will help direct the treatment of patients with hearing loss: “Clinical Evaluation and Etiologic Diagnosis of Hearing Loss: A Clinical Practice Resource of the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics.”...
Post
The glycemic index may be counterproductive to helping Americans adopt healthier diets
THE ALLIANCE FOR POTATO RESEARCH AND EDUCATION (APRE) Today, many people struggle to make healthy food and beverage choices in line with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA). In fact, the average American under-consumes nutrient-dense fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans and dairy foods – and more than half of American adults have at least one...
Post
USPSTF recommends against screening for COPD in asymptomatic adults
JAMA NETWORK Bottom Line: The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends against screening for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in asymptomatic adults who do not recognize or report respiratory symptoms. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is an irreversible reduction of airflow in the lungs. Progression to severe disease can prevent participation in normal activities because of...
Post
Discovery in the brains of army veterans with chronic pain could pave way for personalized treatments
by Frontiers Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain A new study is the first to investigate brain connectivity patterns at rest in veterans with both chronic pain and trauma, finding three unique brain subtypes potentially indicating high, medium, and low susceptibility to pain and trauma symptoms. The findings provide an objective measurement of pain and trauma susceptibility...
Post
A simple blood sample indicates how serious a head trauma is
by Örebro Universitet The study setting. Black color denotes TBI patients and white color denotes reference patients. The TBI patients were from all three severity groups (mild, moderate, severe) and the reference patients were from three injury types: internal medicine, orthopedic, and neurological (blue box). The main analysis for severity discrimination was on patients for...
Post
Do at-home COVID-19 tests expire?
by Molly Callahan, Northeastern University Credit: Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University Perhaps you stocked up when at-home COVID-19 test kits were hard to come by, before the U.S. federal government started a program to mail some to each household. Or maybe you found a bunch of test kits for a good price at your local pharmacy. Or...