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Obesity plays key role in blood poisoning

High weight, little physical activity and smoking increase our vulnerability for severe bloodstream infections. They also increase mortality.

3 Oct 2017

Scientists unravel mechanism that links gut bacteria to hypertension

One in three American adults suffers from high blood pressure, or hypertension. The disease can be passed down in families, and certain lifestyle factors such as smoking, high-sodium diets, and stress can increase the risk.

3 Oct 2017

Researchers develop novel blood analyzer to improve anemia detection

About one quarter of the world's population suffers from anemia, a disease caused by a concentration deficiency of hemoglobin in red blood cells. To reduce the burden of anemia, health officials need a better picture of the disease's global impact, an understanding made viable by a portable and affordable way to analyze blood.

3 Oct 2017

Genital herpes was inherited from human ancestors

There are two main herpes simplex viruses that cause herpes in man – those that cause cold sores or HSV1 and those that cause genital herpes or HSV2. Humans and chimpanzees both were affected by HSV1 millions of years ago when their lineages split. HSV2 however did not leap on to humans until much later shows new research.

3 Oct 2017

Researchers discover circadian clock at work in our muscles

Biological clocks are ticking everywhere throughout our body. They trigger the release of the hormone melatonin during sleep, favour the secretion of digestive enzymes at lunchtime or keep us awake at the busiest moments of the day.

3 Oct 2017

Novel microscopy technique can more accurately diagnose cancer than current methods

A novel microscopy technique to examine tumour tissue in three dimensions can more accurately diagnose cancer than current two-dimensional methods, according to a study conducted at Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital in Sweden. The study is published in Nature Biomedical Engineering.

3 Oct 2017

Skipping breakfast may increase the risk of atherosclerosis, study finds

A new study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology indicated that skipping breakfast is linked with an augmented risk of atherosclerosis — a condition where the arteries are narrowed or hardened because of the building up of plague.

3 Oct 2017

Flat-fee primary care helps fill niche for Texas’ uninsured

Darrell Kenyon had been punting for years on various medical issues — fatigue, headaches, mood swings. The 43-year-old uninsured carpenter was particularly worried about his blood pressure, which ran high when he checked it at the grocery store. Then he heard about a different type of physician practice, one that provided regular primary care for a monthly fee.

3 Oct 2017

Hepatitis C drug’s lower cost paves way for Medicaid, prisons to expand treatment

Valerie Green is still waiting to be cured. The Delaware resident was diagnosed with hepatitis C more than two years ago, but she doesn't qualify yet for the Medicaid program's criteria for treatment with a new class of highly effective but pricey drugs. The recent approval of a less expensive drug that generally cures hepatitis C in just eight weeks may make it easier for more insurers and correctional facilities to expand treatment.

3 Oct 2017

Researchers look for ways to prevent chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment

Of the 14 million cancer survivors in the United States, a significant number experience a serious side effect called chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment (CICI). While easily recognized, little is known about the etiology of this condition, also known informally as "chemo brain."

3 Oct 2017

New gene therapy to treat cancer in children, young adults offers hopes and challenges

The first gene therapy for cancer, approved by the Food Drug Administration in August, will transform the treatment of a particular kind of cancer in children and young adults. It's transformative because it uses a patient's own immune cells to attack the cancer cells.

3 Oct 2017

Liquid biopsy can reveal response to checkpoint inhibitor-based immunotherapies

In a first-of-its-kind study, University of California San Diego School of Medicine researchers report that a blood sample, or liquid biopsy, can reveal which patients will respond to checkpoint inhibitor-based immunotherapies.

3 Oct 2017

Alterations in circulating tumor DNA associated with response to checkpoint inhibitors

The number of alterations detected in the DNA collected from blood samples (liquid biopsies) of cancer patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors was associated with response to the treatment.

3 Oct 2017

Statin use linked to reduced risk of S aureus bloodstream infection

Users of statins, widely prescribed for prevention of cardiac disease, have a 27% lower risk of contracting a Staphylococcus aureus (S aureus) bloodstream infection outside of a hospital, according to a new study in Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

3 Oct 2017

FDA approves Verzenio for advanced metastatic breast cancer

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new drug Verzenio (abemaciclib) for the treatment of advanced or metastatic hormone receptor (HR)-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative breast cancer.

2 Oct 2017

Time to tackle dirty laundry to prevent bed bugs

According to researchers from University of Sheffield, dirty laundry can attract bed bugs and there is a rise in these parasites that bite and carry a host of diseases. Their study is published in the journal Scientific Reports.

2 Oct 2017

“Chemical surgery” on embryos to free them of a gene causing thalassemia

A team of Chinese researchers have for the first time “mended” defective embryos using chemical surgery to free them of a faulty gene that leads to beta thalassemia. Until now this defect was found to be incorrigible caused due to a single misspelling in the DNA code. Beta thalassemia is a dreaded blood disorder wherein the child is unable to make healthy blood needing blood transfusions on a regular basis. The study was published this week in the journal Protein and Cell.

2 Oct 2017

Tattoo ink that changes color could be used to monitor health

Scientists from Harvard Medical School and MIT have designed a tattoo ink that can monitor a person’s health by changing color to indicate dehydration or an increased blood sugar level, for example.

2 Oct 2017

Benefits of Biomarkers in Colorectal Cancer Treatment

Biomarkers fall into different categories: diagnostic biomarkers, are used to identify a disease; prognostic biomarkers, help clinicians to determine, for example, whether you're more likely to die or have problems with a disease; and there are some that can be used to inform treatment, to determine whether one therapy would be more successful than another.

2 Oct 2017

Researchers produce fluorinated molecules in living cells

Natural organic compounds that contain fluorine are rare because living organisms—with a few exceptions—do not produce them. American scientists have now genetically engineered a microbial host for organofluorine metabolism, allowing it to produce a fluoridated intermediate known as a diketide.

30 Sep 2017