by University of Queensland Credit: Cell Reports Medicine (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2024.101849 Queensland researchers have solved the century-old mystery of why patients who suffer severe spinal cord and brain injuries develop debilitating bone growths around joints such as hips and shoulders. Neurogenic heterotopic ossification (NHO) affects about 20% of patients who suffer spinal cord injuries and can lead to a complete loss of...
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Empagliflozin linked to reduced progression of diabetic retinopathy
by Justin Jackson , Medical Xpress Credit: Mikhail Nilov from Pexels An investigation led by Brigham and Women’s Hospital finds empagliflozin (sold as Jardiance) may reduce the risk of diabetic retinopathy (DR) progression in patients with a history of nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) but showed no association with preventing new NPDR onset. DR is one...
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GLP-1 meds may lower clot risk in people with diabetes
by Ernie Mundell People with diabetes who are taking GLP-1 meds such as Ozempic or Mounjaro may be getting an added bonus: Reductions in their odds for a dangerous blood clot, new research finds. The study found that folks with diabetes who were using the drugs lowered their odds for a form of clot called venous thromboembolism (VTE) by 20%, compared...
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Opportunistic assessment of aortic calcium predicts major adverse cardiovascular events
by Elana Gotkine A fully automated algorithm to quantify aortic artery calcification (AAC) on computed tomography (CT) scans performed for other clinical purposes (opportunistic CT) can predict the risk for subsequent major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America, held from Dec. 1 to...
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Itacitinib helps prevent graft versus host disease in stem cell transplant recipients
by Elana Gotkine Credit: CC0 Public Domain For patients with haploidentical hematopoietic cell transplantation (haplo-HCT), the addition of itacitinib to standard graft versus host disease (GvHD) prophylaxis is well tolerated and results in low rates of cytokine release syndrome (CRS), according to a study published online Nov. 2 in Blood. Noting that posttransplant cyclophosphamide (PtCy) has improved GvHD prophylaxis in...
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No, Diet and Exercise Are Not Better Than Drugs for Obesity
Yoni Freedhoff, MD DISCLOSURES | December 06, 2024 143993 Added to Email Alert They’re literally not better. Idealistically, sure, but literally not. And there’s really no debate. Meaning there’s never been a reproducible diet and exercise intervention that has led to anywhere near the average weight lost by those taking obesity medications. Furthermore, when it comes to the durability...
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Estrous rhythm found crucial for optimizing breast cancer therapy
by Justin Jackson, Medical Xpress Oestrous cycle-dependent proliferation of tumor cells during oestrus stage in MMTV-PyMT tumors. Credit: Nature (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-08276-1 The Netherlands Cancer Institute has found that the estrous cycle stage significantly influences mammary tumors’ sensitivity to chemotherapy. In mouse models of breast cancer, treatment initiated during the diestrus stage resulted in reduced responses to...
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Does Medicare cover hospital bills after death?
Medicare will stop paying benefits once a person has died, meaning their medical coverage, including coverage for hospital bills, will stop. Generally, a person’s estate will cover any debts after death. The debt will usually go unpaid if the estate can not cover the bills. Sometimes, people may be legally required to pay the deceased...
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Analysis offers new explanation for dangerous atherosclerotic plaques in type 2 diabetes
by Lund University Less collagen and vascular smooth muscle cells are associated with future cardiovascular events in type 2 diabetes. Credit: Nature Communications (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-50753-8 People with type 2 diabetes have a higher risk of suffering a stroke, a heart attack and premature death due to atherosclerosis, but it has been unclear what the underlying mechanisms are....
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Novel mechanism in brain blood flow regulation offers insights into treating stroke and dementia
by University of Vermont Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain A team of UVM scientists led by Mark Nelson, Ph.D., from the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont, has uncovered a novel mechanism that reshapes our understanding of how blood flow is regulated in the brain. The study, published in The Proceedings of the National Academy...